Red Roses, Gray Skies (Selection SYOC)
by Moonbear37
Summary: It's time for another Selection. The three triplet princes have turned 19, and a new kind of selection has been announced, with 72 girls taking the palace by storm. Will the triplets find true loves, and get a happily ever after, or will a path of tears and tragedy follow? SYOC is CLOSED!
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful sunny day in Angeles. Faint wisps of puffy white clouds drifted by in the sky, a faint breeze rustling the summer-green leaves that clung onto the tall, sturdy trees near the palace. In the garden, on the smooth cobblestone paths, walked the royal couple of Illea. King Maxon Schreave, his blond hair combed and brown eyes shining, his suit crisp and wrinkle-free, was nearly jumping with excitement, much to the amusement of the queen.

"Are you serious? It's really going to happen?" asked Maxon, beaming at the Queen. She smiled back, her pale yellow dress swishing and her high heels clicking against the path as she walked

"Yes, Maxon, I'm not joking. Triplets. All boys," She replied, trying to keep herself from laughing. Maxon sat down on a nearby bench, running a hand over the white wooden latticework and ornate designs. She sat down next to him, smoothing down her skirt as she did so. Maxon took her hands in his.

"This is amazing. How on earth are we going to take care of three boys? They're not all going to be perfect, you know," He said, his smile slightly more subdued as he considered what life would be like once they were born. The Queen, gazing off into the distance, watching the birds circle overhead, took a few seconds to reply.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong, my dear?" He asked, furrowing his brow, looking at her. He scratched his head. She looked back at him,

"No, no, nothing is wrong. I'm just thinking about the future. The future ruler, a selection… how can we do that with three of them?" She asked. Maxon shook his head.

"Don't dwell on that, dear, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I don't want you to stress about it. In the meantime, we should go get something to eat. Do you want me to ask the chef for those sandwiches you like?" He smiled at her, standing up to leave the gardens. Maxon held out his arm for her, and she took it.

"Thank you, Maxon. I think I'll take you up on those sandwiches. After all, I'm eating for four now," She laughed, her waves of light brown hair being swept about by the breeze, which was starting to get stronger. Queen Kriss Schreave, regal and beautiful, on the arm of the king, walked back into the palace. Maxon, still with her, gave the garden one last look back before the door slammed shut. The last part of it he saw was a marble tombstone, covered with sweet smelling flowers that hummingbirds zoomed around, engraved with the name of _America Singer._

* * *

 **Hello! I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to save room for more important details in the other chapters I'll write while waiting for more applicants. Yes, this is going to be a selection SYOC. The triplet's selection is going to be in a different format than the original, not too different but modified to fit the three princes aspect. I plan on having 72 girls in the selection, and most of them will be characters made by all of you. You can make up to six characters, but if you think you can make more than five fully developed, original characters, let me know before sending in the applications. I'd prefer to have everyone PM me the characters, but you can put them in a review. I'll put a list of characters I'll be using on my profile and the list of taken provinces. Because of the huge number of girls, I'm making the selection take two girls per province. If I need to update any rules or aspects of the form, I'll put them on my profile. On to the rules!**

 **1\. No characters based off existing characters** **2\. Please, please, please, don't make your characters Mary-sues.** **3\. Fill out all of the requirements to the most detailed you can make them. I don't want to have to send you a PM asking you for more details.**

 **That's the rules for now. On a side note, the princes will be introduced in the next chapter, which should be out within the next few days. Preferably today, if I can write that fast. Most chapters will be longer than this, I promise. Also, please don't hate me for making Kriss queen. I didn't want to make a new royal family, or use any existing child from the royal family, so this happened. I'll go into America's death later. Now, back to the long character form! (If I need you to change anything, I'll let you know ASAP)**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **Caste:**

 **Province:**

 **Occupation:**

 **Parents:**

 **S** **iblings:**

 **Pets:**

 **Nicknames:**

 **Appearance**

 **Hair:**

 **Eyes:**

 **Skin Tone:**

 **Height:**

 **Weight:**

 **Clothing Style:**

 **Favorite Color:**

 **Dress Ideas:**

 **Other Appearance/clothes info:**

 **Personality:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Skills:**

 **Talents:**

 **Languages Spoken:**

 **History:**

 **Romantic History:**

 **Why she entered:**

 **Possible Elimination:**

 **Reaction to Possible Elimination:**

 **Possessions brought to the Palace:**

 **Attitude Towards**

 **Maids:**

 **Guards:**

 **Other Staff:**

 **Other Selected:**

 **The King and Queen:**

 **Jadie Flores: (My version of Silvia)**

 **Favorite Prince:**

 **Least Favorite Prince:**

 **Other:**

 **The next chapter should be posted soon!**


	2. The Princes- Part One

"Prince Fitz? May I come in?" A high-pitched voice came from outside of the east library's door, the sound of high-heels clacking against tile accompanying it. It had to be Jadie Flores, the royal planner, with her three-inch heels and mountain of curls, ready to make Fitz's life hard again. He had been in the library all morning, studying books on historical American politics, sipping a tall glass of green tea and contemplating some of the hard-to-believe stories in the books that he had dug off the shelves. The library was his favorite place in the whole palace, with shelves full of books in muted colors, all lined up and ready for him to explore their secrets. The rounded ceiling and polished floors, the comfortable reading chairs, mahogany end tables with lamps that gave off a warm golden light. Fitz could spend all day in there, losing himself in the past. That particular day, he had been reading about one of the many presidential elections of the old country, how controversy and anger had played a part in politics even then. Before answering Jadie, the prince ran a hand through his hair, then grabbed a bookmark from an end table and slid it into the history book. He set it down on table, then got out of the chair and walked across the room.

"Jadie? What did Samuel do this time? I thought I told the cooks not to let him in the kitchens! Will they never learn?" He opened the heavy wooden door, the recently polished doorknob slick in his hand, greeted by the sight of Jadie in her usual grandeur. Today she wore a lime-green and neon violet pantsuit, bright enough to sear his eyes out, her mane of black curls tamed back into a low ponytail, her glasses perched on the edge of her surprisingly pointed and sharp nose. Jadie sighed, and looked down at her clipboard in exasperation.

"You are aware that not everything we need you for involves your troublesome brother, Prince Fitz? Though Prince Samuel did make quite a mess with the whipped cream. Anyway, The King and the Queen wants you and your brothers in the main conference room, immediately, and they have something important to discuss with all three of you. Prince Luke is already there, and the guards are working on tracking down Prince Samuel. Any ideas for where he might be?" She said, briskly, her brow furrowing as she went down the list on her clipboard. Fitz swore he could see the number 72 on her clipboard, but she moved it away much too quickly for him to see anything else.

"Try the southern broom closets, he'll probably have brought some poor girl home with him from that thing he went to yesterday. What do they need me for? And the others? If it's a matter of foreign relations, or another trip, they can just have me relay the information to the others. I'm sure it can't be so important that they need all three of us, and not just me. Jadie, what's going on?" He asked, confused, remembering the last time all three of them had a meeting with the parents. The family had gone on a trip to Italy, keeping the alliance between the two countries intact, but his parents later told him that next time they would let him tell the others, to make things easier. Unfortunately, Jadie started walking off towards the meeting room, gesturing for him to follow.

"Not foreign relations, Prince Fitz. Now, it might be a shock, but be prepared for when you get in there. If you haven't figured it out already, our in for a surprise," Once she had caught up to her, she tucked her clipboard under her other arm, still keeping it away from him. He sighed, and walked silently next to her, checking in a passing mirror that his button-up polo shirt and his khaki pants were still immaculate, noticing that his hair was sticking up all over. He quickly patted it down, hoping no one had seen it like that, and hurried after Jadie, who was already halfway down the corridor. As he walked, he realized that they were remarkably near the southern broom closet that he suspected Sam to be in.

"Jadie, You go ahead. I think I'll get Sam. He might respond better if it's me," He told her, seeing the exact door that he knew his brother to be hiding behind. He gestured for her to keep walking, and once she did, he approached the closet.

"Sam? Are you in there? Mom and Dad need us in the conference room," He said, knocking on the door. He held the doorknob, but kept it shut. Suddenly, a slew of muffled cursing and footsteps came from inside the closet, and Fitz rolled his eyes. It took nearly a minute for the sounds to stop, and when they did, the youngest Schreave triplet poked his head out of the closet. His hair, the same color as Fitz's own, was in it's usual perfect swoop, looking like nothing was wrong, a big grin on his face.

"Fancy seeing you here, Fitz!" Sam said, his eyes darting back to a small panel of uneven floor in the closet. He stepped back and gently pressed it into the floor with his foot. This was, what, girl number 23 of the last year? Fitz crossed his arms and glared at his brother, checking the hallway on both sides before talking.

"Come on. Again? Seriously, you need to stop doing this. You're a prince of Illea, just like I am, and we need to set examples for the people! You're irresponsible, never do anything, you don't pay attention to things that you should, and you're going to get all three of us in so much trouble, Mom and Dad will do something extreme! Who knows what they'll come up with? Sam, please, stop doing this," Fitz said, under his breath, seeing that it was his position to rein in his brother. Sam just groaned and rolled his eyes right back at Fitz. Suddenly, Fitz thought about something. They couldn't, could they? He had to find out, immediately. If that was what this meeting was for... no.

"Sam, we have to go. Quickly. I have a really bad idea, and it might be true,"


	3. The Princes- Part Two

**I have some things to announce at the end of the chapter, so read on!**

* * *

 **Luke's POV**

Prince Luke Christopher Schreave's earliest memory was his parents forgetting him after a trip to Italy.

He had been three at the time, walking around on his stubby little toddler legs, and had somehow found himself in a storage closet nearly across the palace from where he was supposed to be. He had always blamed Sam, because there wasn't any way he could have been that stupid all by himself. Luke had cried, whined, and yelled himself horse, but no one came.

He later on heard that his parents had searched the whole Italian palace, high and low, for him, but had assumed that he had already been brought to the plane, something they turned out to be very wrong about. He was left in that palace for a full six hours, at which a servant opened the door to get some window cleaner and found Luke instead, sending him straight up to the rooms that his family had stayed in, before the servant realized he had been left behind.

It was a popular joke when it had first happened, a topic that made for funny conversation, but no one even tried to remark on how wrong it was to forget a toddler in another country. They all made the same excuse, that his parents were grieving, but Luke hadn't known what for until he was 13, when he learned the truth about the rebel attack that had ended his father's selection, killing the royal family and a few of the selected in one go. Maxon had survived, of course, which was why he eventually forgot his son in the closet, but Luke still harbored a grudge against that day. And the selection in general, as a matter of fact. It's no surprise that he wasn't enthused when it was time for his own.

The entire royal family was in the conference room, sitting at a long mahogany table in silence, tension crackling in the air. The calm before the storm, and someone would have to break it. That person wasn't going to be Luke, of course. He could practically count down the seconds until Fitz said something. It was always like that, though, Fitz being the first one to talk.

In the entire palace, besides the dinning hall, the room that saw the most activity was the conference room. King Maxon used it for all his important meetings, to discuss plans and new tactics against the rebels, to do important things with foreign relations that visitors only trusted him to do in this particular room of the palace. At the very head of the table sat the King's chair, a worn down wooden piece with sunken cushions, which had defiantly seen better days.

The conference room, also, at this moment, contained deep green walls with cream trim, polished dark chocolate colored wooden floors, a long mahogany table with accompany chairs, fluttering teal curtains, and three very shocked princes. No, the princes weren't a usual part of the ambience of the room, but they had a right to be like this after the surprise announcement that had been given nearly a minute earlier.

Prince Fitz was the first one to get over the shock, and gave a slight cough, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

"You can't be serious. Father, this can't happen," He said, appearing unfazed, staring his father down, then looking around the room to address the others, "Everyone, he isn't serious, is he?"

Unfortunately, the King sighed and met Fitz's brown eyes.

"Fitz, I am completely serious. You're twenty years old, a year older than I was when my selection took place, and it's high time all three of you settle down and actually do something," He said, seriously, looking older than 42.

Fitz started to protest, but his father held up a hand.

"I have some mixed memories of my selection, some pure happiness, others tragic, but I've looked back on it, and I've decided that it's what you boys need to grow up a bit. Jadie will walk you through the process, and everything should go smoothly," He continued, looking like the matter was settled once and for all.

It most certainly wasn't.

Sam snorted, and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms, and tilted his head.

"Yeah, everything's going to go perfectly. No selection has! Even rebel attacks ruin that "perfect", and more than one girl died in yours! America Singer? Elise Whisks? Celeste Newsome barely avoided getting shot in the head, and Mom was shot in the arm! I'm guessing that we'll have more than 35 girls!" He said, raising his voice at the end.

King Maxon's face drained of all color. He put his head in his hands, and the room fell silent. No one had actually told Sam about the end of his father's selection, but he knew. Kriss stood up, and walked over to her husband, simultaneously glaring at her son. Her mint colored gown was regal and elegant, her brown hair twisted up into a bun, the sparkling tiara on her head catching the light and glittering.

"Samuel. Don't be disrespectful. The king has enough to do without all the trouble you put him through," said Jadie, standing near the window, her zany clothes and strict demeanor forgotten the second the announcement had been made.

Sam looked back at her and rolled his eyes again.

"Really? Wow. Who would have known? Amazing discovery, Jadie, simply amazing. You'd think your outfit would have killed all of your brain cells, but one survived! A miracle!" he said sarcastically.

Luke watched as Jadie stomped out of the room, her ponytail flapping behind her.

Samuel smirked, and looked around.

"Anyone else? Good. Now, when are we going to call off this selection?" He asked, staring confidently at King Maxon, his smirk still plastered on his face.

It wasn't that often Luke saw this side of Sam, but he knew that he could be scathing if he wanted too. Usually Sam was occupied with parties, pranks, and girls, but sometimes when he was bored, he would send the maids crying. The palace staff didn't like Sam in general, with all the trouble he caused, but the absolutely loathed him when he got like this. For the record, Luke hated him too, but never said anything.

Maxon looked up at Sam, back at Kriss, and at the other boys. He seemed to consider something, for a moment, then let loose a heavy sigh. He stood up, and walked over to Sam.

"Outside. Now. I need to talk to you,"

Sam stood up, shot one last look back on the room, and followed the king out.

 **Samuel's POV**

Sam followed his father, his hands in his pockets, his mind in another place entirely. He was thinking about earlier today, how he had finally gotten that maid alone with him, for five seconds before Fitz appeared.

"Sam, You need to stop. Everyone here doesn't like you, besides your mother and I, but that doesn't mean you can be like this. Jadie is a hardworking and respected member of the staff, and you're a 20 year-old with a lot to live up to," He started, looking at Sam.

Sam thought for a second, then turned around and walked away.

* * *

 _ **(Yikes, that ending was terrible. I'll try to do better next time!)**_

 **Hello, everyone! I might be awhile before I post another chapter, (as in a week), but I'll try to get it out sooner. This chapter is the longest I've written so far, but that is only after much delaying an issues with the writing and getting it posted. Hence, this was the third rewrite. All I can say about the other two was that they involved a fight and a dog stealing one of Jadie's shoes. I tried to do a little of Sam's POV at the end, but kept it short because I have to do homework. However, I need everyone's opinion on something. Since it's rated teen, I can probably slip some minor cussing into it, but I want to make sure everyone reading is comfortable with that. I know, it's a silly thing to do, but it's always best to be safe then sorry. I have a few things to say about the SYOC, so this closing part is going to be longer than I should usually make it.**

 **First, it's going well. I've got 14 girls in, one spot reserved, and one character pending. More than I had hoped for so far! Reminder, the limit is five characters, but I would love it if everyone submitting them! 56 spots left!**

 **Second, I would like to warn those who have submitted that I might have to take some creative liberties with the writing of the characters. You've all done well with the information, but I want to tell you that I may have to tweak a few things when writing.**

 **Finally, I've decided to make a few spots for girls who have connections or background history with the princes. They will be part of the remaining 56, but might get a little more screen time in the beginning. One of Samuel's old girlfriends, the daughter of someone from the original selection series, and anything else might be accepted! If I don't clear yours, or have to change that part, it will be because the few spots for these characters have been taken. I'll make something on my profile when they are.**

 **Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you like it so far!**


	4. The Princes- Part Three

Samuel Schreave, youngest prince of Illea by no less than five minutes, was absolutely furious.

A selection. He would be trapped in the palace, surrounded by hordes of giggling girls, forced to pick one of them to actually marry. It was absolutely humiliating, being forced to do something like this in front of the country.

He stomped back to his room, eyebrows furrowed, glaring at the floor, his hands balled into fists, knowing that the eyes of the palace staff would be watching his every move.

He slammed open the door of his room, the wood making a satisfying noise as it hit the wall, probably knocking a hole in the already dented wall, the brass doorknob bearing evidence of various scuffles and scrapes with the wall.

His room was littered with soda cans and dirty laundry, the maids too afraid to attempt cleaning it up. The bed, it's forest green duvet rumpled and the pillows squashed to the side. The curtains covering the windows and the glass door that lead out to the wrap-around balcony were stained with some sort of red sauce, though it could have been mistaken for blood at first sight. The carpet wasn't the cream color it was supposed to be, the beige walls were just as bad. He couldn't remember the last time it had been truly clean, though it had probably been over a year ago.

Sam flopped down on his bed, the impact making the mattress springs bounce, a pillow pathetically falling off with a dull sounding thump. As he did so, he felt a small piece of paper laying beneath him, and twisted so he could reach it, not recognizing the handwriting.

 _Samuel- You've made a mistake. How's your nose? Still bleeding, I hope. Be on your best behavior, because I'm coming to get you. Clean your room while you're at it. Sincerely, Katelin_

It was from her, the maid he had pushed into the closet earlier. The one who had punched him in the nose. Sam groaned, wishing he had chose a less violent girl, and touched the tip of his nose.

"Great work, next time chose one who will actually kill you," he muttered to himself, though he was pretty positive that Katelin would have murdered him if he wasn't a prince. Honestly, that girl was scary. She had worked as a maid for at least four years, being the same age he was, but he had never interacted with her until yesterday. She had short pale brown hair, green eyes that sparkled with fury, and a habit for violence, which he should have figured out before she punched him in the nose.

Thinking about his nose, Sam forced himself out of the bed and over to the mirror.

His brown hair, the same color as Fitz's, was messed up and lacking it's usual perfection. The brown eyes he shared with everyone else were accompanied by dark circles underneath, resulting from his late night sneaking out to the nearby clubs. His nose looked fairly blood free, surprisingly, even if a little bruised. He touched it gingerly, praying it wasn't broken, and winced at the pain.

He stepped back from the mirror, and looked over at the clock on the far wall, reading nearly 3:00. He had time to think before he had to face his family again, and he gave a slight smirk. If he was to go through with this, why not do it on his own terms?

 **King Maxon's POV**

Kriss, his queen, had been the one to suggest the selection, not him.

If he would have had the choice, he would have disbanded the selection and all future ones altogether. It was too painful to even think of his own, and the danger that the royal family would be in might only increase with a selection. Rebel attacks were far between as of recent, but that didn't mean that they couldn't become for frequent.

The Northerners had stopped all attacks, but the south hadn't, and something much worse was going on with them. The Southerners, still deadly and uncaring, were splitting into two factions. Both dangerous, both wanting to murder his family, but some disagreement had happened.

The new faction, however similar, had one main difference, one way of telling which was which.

They would literally paint their faces with blood, and would slaughter everyone.

Another selection could have the same outcome as his own, but something had happened that day that just felt wrong. It wasn't when his parents died, that somehow felt inevitable, but when America Singer died, something had changed in the world, something that wasn't supposed to happen had.

 **Queen Kriss's POV**

At the very end of her selection, the rebels had attacked. They had been disguised as guards, suddenly turning on the people, shots fired randomly into the crowd. Maxon had been about to pick his bride, and everything went absolutely wrong. Screams, blood, gunshots piercing the air. People ran from the room, loyal guards and maids trying to whisk away the royal family. King Clarkson and Queen Amberly were nearly out the door when the guard leading them had turned on them, and shot the queen in the heart, before doing the same with the king. Maxon, already out of the room, would have no idea that his parents had bled out on the marble floors until nearly an hour after they were gone, and had been in shock for much longer. The tally of deaths that day had included the king and queen, a handful of guards and maids who Kriss didn't know the names of, a maid named Lucy, Elise Whisks, and America Singer.

It had been like slow-motion, watching that bullet spiral towards Kriss's own heart. The rebel had fired the instrument of death, his finger clicking the trigger, adrenaline rushing through Kriss's body but not being able to move.

America Singer, nearly out of the room, turning back for one last look, a guard practically dragging her out the door. She broke free, sprinted over towards me, and she could only think one thought, both of them thinking it at the same moment, life suddenly taking a turn for the worst.

" _I'm going to die"_

That was the thought, that happened the exact second everything changed.

It had been exactly 24 years since the incident, and it still seemed like yesterday.

 **Prince Samuel's POV**

The worst thing about his plan was that it required Katelin. She had been the only person he could think of who would do this, but first he had to talk to her.

He found her wandering the hallways, chatting with one of her fellow maids, but there was something different about her. Samuel realized that it was her clothes. She wasn't wearing a maid's outfit, not at all, but ordinary clothes. As a matter of fact, hadn't someone said something about someone's daughter visiting the palace?

And didn't Katelin look suspiciously similar to Jadie Flores?

Sam mentally cursed, but had to continue with the plan, so he followed her until she was by herself.

He took a deep breath, prepared himself for any sort of painful injury, and walked up to her.

"I need you to push me out a window," he said, startling her.

She, jumping, immediately turned and kicked him in the stomach.

"Ow. Much pain. Window? Please?" He whimpered, doubling over and trying not to puke.

Katelin put her hands on her hips, and looked at him like he had gone completely crazy.

"As much as I would love to push you out a window, why?" She asked, casually observing Sam puking into a nearby potted plant.

"To postpone or cancel the selection," He replied, before his lunch came back up and he had to turn away.

Katelin started laughing, a high clear sound that was surprisingly pleasant.

"A selection? Oh, this is going to be fun! However, how would I get away with pushing you out the window?" She asked, still giggling.

Sam tried to stand up, and glared at her.

"Say it's self-defense? You should be good at this kind of thing," He said, clenching his teeth.

"Alright, there's a balcony right over there." Katelin said, pointing it out, motioning for him to follow her.

Sam followed her, right onto the second-story balcony that overlooked a fruit tree, still wincing with pain.

"Let's get this over with,"

* * *

 **Chapter four, and the last of the Princes POV's! Samuel's a bit reckless in this chapter, but I hope everyone enjoyed it! I cleared up some things on America's death, and tried to do both Maxon's and Kriss's views of the event. It isn't my best, but I finished it. I'm planning on getting the next chapter out on around Thursday, maybe before.**

 **For the SYOC, I have about a third of the girls in. I might not do the full 72, and I've started putting one or two characters in that I can eliminate in the first rounds. I want the selection to have started by the 16th, so get your characters in! I'm upgrading the number of characters you can submit to six, but they all have to be well-written and with as much detail as possible. The more detail, the more likely they are to make it to the elite!**

 **I do have a big surprise for a coming up chapter, it might even be in the next one if enough people submit characters. If 2/3s of the characters needed are filled, I'll announce it and post a chapter. It does involve some of the characters, and it will involve me picking people to do something...**

 **If you have any questions, PM me about them. Except questions about the surprise, because that would ruin it. Remember to review if you liked it, and get your characters in!**


	5. A Girl, a Hospital, and a Secret Love

**Here's an actual chapter, I'm deleting the last one because all of the information should be at the end here.**

* * *

 **Prince Samuel's POV**

Katelin seemed to be enjoying the endless agony of waiting for the inevitable, her chin propped up against the balcony railing, leaning over to get a good view of the gardens below. Her long curtain of straight cinnamon-colored hair fell gently over her left eye, her eyes themselves vibrant green flashlights that scanned the landscape, occasionally glancing back at him and smirking. Her skin was pale, just like her mother's, but Katelin's had a different degree of smoothness. Earlier, when they had walked to the balcony, Samuel had been irritated to find that she was over two inches taller than him, still shorter than his brothers, but enough that she could easily look over his head.

Samuel himself was leaning against the wall, clutching his stomach like his guts were going to spill out onto the balcony, watching Katelin and pretending not to whenever she glanced his way.

He supposed that she was waiting for him to change his mind, that for some reason he would magically transform into less of an idiot than he already was. She has already called him an idiot multiple times.

He groaned, and she turned, looking back at him again in exasperation.

"Can you get it over with? Really, it's not exactly fun waiting to be thrown of a balcony by you," he remarked, suddenly realizing just how snobbish his voice sounded.

Katelin laughed, standing up and looking at him in amusement, tossing her hair behind her as she did so.

"Alright, playboy, wouldn't want to make you suffer. Bring your pathetic face over here and we'll get this over with, yeah?" She asked, smirking once again, making him feel uncomfortable. He was supposed to be the one in control here, not her. It didn't matter that she was the one throwing him off the balcony, he'd asked her to do it.

He stumbled up, and felt his weight shifting forward, falling flat on his face and inhaling some dust.

Once he had peeled himself off the ground, he grabbed the balcony railing to avoid another catastrophe.

Suddenly, he found himself being shoved back towards the wall, away from the railing, hitting the wall with enough force to injure a small pachyderm. Katelin had shoved him, and was now standing dangerously close to the balcony, looking as though she might throw herself off of it.

"You, Prince, are going to stay right there," She said.

Judging by the stars dancing in his vision, and by the feeling that someone had taken a hatchet to his head, Samuel figured that he had a concussion.

Even if he had wanted to move, it would have been an excruciating experience that would have made him pass out.

Katelin, without another word, simply pivoted, climbed up onto the balcony, and did a graceful curtsy on nothing more thin two inches of iron railing.

"Bye-bye. Blaming you for this," She said, waving as she did so, a delighted grin crossing her face.

Before he could say anything, she did a dive straight off the balcony and into the tree with a thud.

 **Prince Fitz's POV- Ten minutes ago**

 _One of the greatest traditions of Illea is the selection, taking place when the firstborn son in the royal family has come of age, a way for the common people to connect with the royal family. From each of the 35 provinces, a girl is chosen in a lottery to go to the palace and compete for the hand of the prince. The Prince which the selection is held for is responsible for eliminating and interacting with these daughters of Illea, eventually choosing one to be his bride. Eventually, the competition will narrow down to a group of ten girls, the Elite, who will be immersed in the politics and necessities for a queen of Illea, given that one of them will take on the position._

Fitz looked up from the heavy, leather-bound book. He had been studying past selections for only ten minutes, Jadie Flores beside him, looking over his shoulder. His parents had tasked them both, along with a reluctant Luke, to start the actual planning of the selection. Quite obviously, in Fitz's opinion, Sam hadn't been invited to take part in the process. The stacks of books that sat patiently on the conference table, nearly a foot high, had barely been touched yet. Luke, sitting back in his chair, one with wheels, and was scooting around the room and spinning in it in abject boredom. Jadie had readjusted her glasses and was sitting in her own chair, looking at Luke every few seconds as if she could make him stop with the power of her mind. After a particularly large spin, nearly crushing a potted plant, Jadie coughed.

"Excuse me, Prince Luke. Can you please sit still for a minute? It's rather difficult to focus when you're insisting on chair ballet," Jadie remarked, her eyes narrowing at Luke, who was sitting at an awkward angle mid-spin.

"Oh. Yeah, sorry Jadie. What were we doing?" He asked, running a hand through his blonde hair, fixing his position and scooting back to the table as Jadie rolled her eyes at his behavior. She may not have hated Luke the most, Samuel took the grand prize for most hated. Fitz, on the other hand, was Jadie's favorite, due to the fact that he was only one that would ever listen to her without some sort of questioning or complaining. They'd known the strict, fashion-challenged, extremely punctual women since they were toddlers, and she'd been the one to handle most of their education and manners once they had gotten older. Fitz had been shocked when Katelin, only a few months older than the triplets, had come to the palace.

Apparently, Katelin Flores-Lee hadn't known who her mother was until last year, when she'd unexpectedly shown up at the palace, yelling at people and demanding to know why her mother had left her all those years ago. A shocked and slightly scared Jadie had recognized Katelin at once, calling the guards off her and having a chat that seemed to calm the girl down. Katelin had been staying in the palace ever since, for reasons Fitz didn't known, and often showed up when he least expected her to.

He looked up again, and heard a sudden noise. That could be trouble.

 **Prince Luke's POV-**

The triplets were in the hospital wing, though Sam was the only one who needed to be there. The doctors at the palace were extremely good at their jobs, and had already diagnosed Sam as not having a concussion, which Luke could have told him anyway.

Luke, being fond of sports, had partaken in a number of hospital visits himself, the most recent incident being because of a baseball game, Samuel in possession of a baseball bat, and broken ribs that had a really long time to heal.

He had gotten to a point where he knew the doctors on a first name basis, which was fine by him. It always helped to have friends that could give you free smiley face bandages that you could use as tape.

However, the only reason he was here today was because of Katelin.

If asked to explain Katelin, Luke would have had a lot of things to say, but would have had to keep them to himself so that no one figured it out. Fitz, as much of a perfectionist as he was, wasn't suspicious enough of people in general to have any odd thoughts about her, but Samuel was different.

Obviously, from the ugly bruises and position of Sam's nose, which the doctors had diagnosed as being broken, he'd tried something with Katelin.

That alone wanted to make Luke give Sam another broken body part, but he had more pressing matters on hand.

Katelin herself, in all her glory, was laying on a hospital bed in another private room, conscious but with a broken arm. Her hair, fanning around her head like a brunette sun, was tangled and knotted. Her skin had a faint tinge to it, pale and clammy like she was in shock. Her eyes were lacking their usual vigor. Whatever Sam had done, he would not want to meet with Luke in private any time soon.

She saw Luke and tried to sit up, her eyes flickering at the still open door.

He turned and closed it, then rushed over to her, stopping suddenly as he realized something.

There was no way that Samuel would have ever been able to throw Katelin off the balcony, the Katelin who had hit Luke upside the head with a frying pan the first time they had met.

Katelin wouldn't have let Sam get anywhere near her, but the closet...

He looked up, and saw Katelin watching him, curious about his hesitance, her eyes narrowed and her mouth in a thin line, her eyebrows raised.

Luke walked back over to her, and scowled, realizing that she must have thrown herself off of that balcony.

"Why? If you wanted to get him in trouble, there are better ways to do that," He said, nearly spitting with rage, unable to believe that she had probably jumped off the balcony.

She shrugged, the hints of a smile on her face, making him pause mid rant.

"What?" Luke asked, scratching his head, his blond hair sticking up at weird angles.

Katelin laughed. She smiled at him, shaking her head in amusement.

"I already talked with your parents. You know that I'm an amazing negotiator, right? Just put on a few tears, yell a bit about Sam, wince in pain every few minutes, it works. There are a few conditions, of course. No one can know that Jadie's my mom, have to live with my dad in Sota until it happens, and ta-da! Happily ever after, with minimal labor!" She beamed, her eyes gaining their sparkle again, waiting a few seconds for it to sink in.

"Wait. What?" He asked, confused, trying not to realize the meaning of her words.

"Come on, dummy. You're not that thick, are you? I'm going to be in your selection!" She replied, laughing at his shocked expression.

"You look just like we did when we first met!" Katelin continued, happier than he had seen her in a long time. As a matter of fact, he could remember the last time he had seen her that happy...

 _It had been nearly a year ago, when summer was just reaching it's peak, the days hot and humid in the Angeles sun. Luke had been wandering the hallways, looking for something to do, on crutches from his last sports mishap. He had heard voices, one ringing loud and clear, the other familiar and sounding like Jadie Flores. "I can't believe it's you! I've asked dad hundreds of times, and he wouldn't say anything, but I found an old picture of you. I looked it up on the report, matched the faces, and got myself a plane ticket here! I know, he said I have to go back every other weekend, but he's a two, and we can afford it. By the way, why aren't you a two?" The first voice said, seemingly full of enthusiasm and spunk. The other voice answered back, more reserved and sounding pained. "Katelin, dear, it's none of your concern. I have things to do, how about you run outside and find a maid or something to play with? Oh, sorry, I suppose you aren't ten any more. You're 19? Just run along, I have to do something for the Queen," Jadie said, the voice interrupting her a few times. Suddenly, Luke heard footsteps, and ran to the closest hiding spot. It happened to be a kitchen cupboard, but it wasn't necessarily safe. The door creaked open and revealed a girl of about his age, holding a frying pan and looking very, very surprised. "Um, hi?" Luke asked, shrinking back into the cupboard. Katelin, as he had heard Jadie called her, was even more shocked than he was, by evidence of the frying pan she had just swung at her head. "Ow!" He had yelled, as she dropped it in surprise. "Oh, great, you're one of the princes! I'm so sorry!" She had said. The next time they had met, their friendship had continued to grow, up until it became something much more._

Luke was snapped back to the present when Katelin reached out and grabbed his arm, a look of concern on her face.

"Luke? You alive?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his face, the effort obviously hard for her.

"Oh, yeah. Just thinking," He replied, then walked out of the room without a backwards glace.

He went outside of the hospital area, and sat down on a step, deep in thought.

* * *

 **And cut! That's a wrap! Sorry. I've always wanted to do that.**

 **Back to business. Here's a recap of the note from the last chapter, the mini one that's since been removed:**

 _ **"Also, the surprise has been compromised. I can't go through with it anymore, so I'll just tell you.** **I can't actually write the three leading up to it chapters now, but here's a brief summary of what would have happened. A rebel attack, stopping Katelin pushing Sam off the balcony, would have happened, in a chapter titled Rebels and Repercussions. Fast forward to after the attack, the leaders of Swendaway and New Asia would have come in and revealed that they had been funding the rebels, and that attacks would happen more frequently unless the royal family met their demands. They were angry because, instead of anticipating all three boys having a selection, they thought that two of the boys would be given up for marriage alliances. Somehow, I would have put in a POV of the leaders hearing the announcement and planning this. A big debate peace-treaty thing would have happened, letting the daughters of the leaders' into the selection, making a total of 72 girls, since two girls from each of the 35 provinces equals 70, not 72. "**_

 _ **"Hello, everyone! I'm just going to pretend that nothing's wrong and that I totally didn't mean to put this up a week after it was promised. Also, apologizing for the extremely short chapter.**_ ** _If I can, I'll try to make up the planned chapters and get myself back on schedule, since in my mind I was supposed to have chapter eight written and edited by today, and that obviously hasn't happened."_**

 _ **"Anyway, get your characters in! Once we get over 40, I'll wait one more day for any remaining entries, and then would close it.** **Even more important: I'm not accepting characters from reviews anymore. This is because almost none of them had enough info, I put a few in to be nice, but they really didn't have enough stuff to let me write with them. If you send me a well-developed character in a PM, I will accept it. If you have an account and you submitted it in a review, and I haven't entered it yet, send it to me in a PM."**_

 **That should be it. Any questions, please PM me with them.**

 **I'm excited to announce that we have 33 girls submitted and 3 girls reserved! Get your characters in, I'm itching to start the actual selection!**

 **Before anyone asks any questions, Katelin will be part of the actual selection. However, she will not take any chance of winning away from your character, I repeat, she will not take any chance of winning away from your character. No need to worry! **

**Remember to leave a review if you have any constructive criticism, or if you have any good things to say about it. I'm always open to feedback!**

 **-Moonbear37**


	6. The Announcement

**Another chapter this week? Surprise!**

* * *

 **Prince Luke's POV**

Jadie Flores looked at the princes, staring at them with a sort of grim determination that made it seem like she was about to make them do push-ups. Luke instinctively cringed, and looked away from the twin laser beams that were her eyes. Fitz, on the other hand, looked into them like he was having a staring contest with Jadie, and Samuel wasn't even trying. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, his eyes closed like he was trying to take a nap. Luke figured that it was a direct effect of Jadie's long tirade against him earlier.

It was nearly a week after Katelin had told Luke about her blackmailing her way into the selection. The triplets had been called into a planning meeting with Jadie Flores, trying to get the problem of the large number of girls required under control. Thankfully, Jadie's outfit was a bit toned down, though she still wore a raspberry pantsuit with highlighter yellow shirt underneath. Her usually curly black hair was hanging down her back in two pigtails, a fashion statement that seemed more akin little girls than to grown women. Besides that, Jadie was still a force to be reckoned with, and had probably played some part into getting Katelin into the selection, something Luke had mixed feelings about.

If Katelin was in the selection, it was finally his chance to have a real relationship with her, and all he had to do was pretend to start over at the beginning with her. However, he also knew that she could ruin his chances of finding another love, someone who was much more compatible with him that she was. It wasn't like Luke didn't feel anything towards Katelin, it was just her tendency to do extreme things.

Considering that, a very problematic thought worked it's way into his mind, slowly filling up the spaces that had been dedicated to listening to Fitz and Jadie argue about who was going to give the meeting's opening address.

 _If Katelin would jump off a third-story balcony to enter the selection, what might she do to keep herself in it?_

Luke had visions of Katelin sneaking around the palace in the dark, slitting the throats of unsuspecting girls who had come to win his heart. Pushing them off the roofs, faking their death as suicides, commandeering rebels to attack the palace and kill them for her, blowing up the palace, holding the king and queen hostage, and much, much more. She was capable of doing it, and he wouldn't put it past her to do it.

For one of the first times in their long relationship, Luke began to doubt Katelin.

He was jolted back to reality, which was better than his thoughts even if it came at the cost of Fitz waving a hand in front of his face.

"Luke? This is earth calling, how's the space program going?" Fitz said, referencing the proposed Illean space program that might soon take humans to the moon. Luke pushed his hand away, and sighed.

Samuel, still in his collapsed position, opened one eye and yawned.

Both Fitz and Luke shot him death glares, then looked back at Jadie, who was filling some papers.

"Alright, down to business. Sit, your highnesses," She said, waving her hand at some chairs that were in the corner of her office. Luke dragged his over with a satisfying screeching noise, then plopped down on it and proceed to spin about in it. If Jadie hadn't removed them, then they were fair game. She gave him an exasperated sigh, but didn't press the issue.

"Thank you. Now, our first order of business is the number of girls. I'm thinking around 70, two from each province, even though it's not divisible by three," Jadie stated, rummaging through the papers to give them each a large two-inch binder. Sam's was red, Luke's was green, and Fitz's was a subdued gray. She handed Sam's to Luke, and he proceeded to throw it at Sam's head while accepting his own.

It hit Sam square on the forehead, leaving a nasty mark, but Sam didn't stir. Luke, grabbing a black sharpie, decided that this was a perfect opportunity. Jadie and Fitz, however, both gave him a rather interesting fake cough, and he just tossed it over his shoulder.

Turning his attention back to the binder in front of him, he flipped it open and was greeted with a nicely laminated table of contents that was in print so tiny, he had to press his nose to the paper to read it. Apparently, their were ten sections in the binder, each for a different aspect of the selection, the first being rules for both the selected and the princes. The second was about the history, the third was about elimination, and on and on until Luke's eyes were dropping. Unfortunately, that was just reading the table of contents.

Fitz hadn't opened his, which made Luke think that he had already read through the whole thing, or he might have had a hand in helping Jadie make it. It sounded like a thing Fitz would do.

"So, how will we do the selection lottery?" A sudden question from Fitz made Luke look up, and look over at Jadie for the first time in ten minutes.

Jadie smiled, and launched herself into an explanation. "Applications will first go through a basic process, making sure they have enough credentials for the task at hand. Not many are taken out then, so we proceed into the lottery. A committee will randomly pick names from a large container, which we'll have one of for each province. Two names will be selected from each container, and they'll be presented at the report that night. Of course, you two both know that the report announcing the selection is tonight, correct?" She told them, dropping a surprise at the end that made even Sam sit up straight.

"Tonight?" He yelped, like a wasp had just stung him in the Gluteus Maximus. Luke laughed, met with a look of disapproval from Jadie.

She nodded, then swiveled to observe the clock. "Nearly 3:00, your highnesses, I suspect you should start getting ready. You only have two hours!" She said, a sort of cruel delight in her voice.

Samuel rushed out of the door in a frenzy, probably to go get the bruise off his head with liberal amounts of makeup, maybe to go puke in a toilet. He'd been doing a lot of that lately.

Luke followed him out the door, his binder tucked under his arm, heading up to his room so he could have some semblance of a suit when he was on live television. He noticed that Fitz was trying to keep up with him, so he slowed down.

"Luke, can you keep an eye on Samuel? I'm a little worried about him, and since you don't really have much to do-" Luke interrupted him with a snort.

"Yeah, sure. I definitely don't have better things to do then watch over him, it's not like your time isn't any more valuable than mine to you," He said, rolling his eyes. He outpaced Fitz, hearing him calling to him in the other section of the hallway, but he was already to his room.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Later that evening, right before the Illean Capitol Report was about to start, Luke waited in a narrow hallway with his family, the men in pressed suits, Queen Kriss in a gorgeous silvery-white gown that looked like it had been made from moonbeams. The makeup team had done a good job of hiding Samuel's bruises, but Luke doubted they would have been able to do anything about a marker mustache. It was a shame that Jadie had stopped his plans.

Speaking of Jadie, she was backstage, running around like her head was on fire, yelling at people and waving her arms about in a panic. Her clipboard was tucked under her arm, the attached pen on a string dangled about like a dead fish hanging from a fishing rod.

She spotted the royal family and ran over, the headset and walkie talkie she had both giving off loud static noises and spewing random clips of peoples voices, getting the last minute preparations ready.

"Hello, King Maxon, Queen Kriss, Princes. You're on in about five minutes, Royce Fadaye should be starting the report any second now. He's Gavril's son, remember? Okay, let's go!" She said in a rapid torrent of words, reminding them of the semi-new host who had already been doing this job for five years, yet Jadie was still convinced he was new. She lost her head in the frenzy of preparation, and Luke was happy to let her do that.

He saw the lights start to turn on, the report music playing, and could see Royce's face from the large screen that hung above them, letting them know what Illea was seeing.

Jadie, having done another lap around the backstage area, appeared next to them.

Royce, smiling and charismatic, looked straight at the camera and began to talk, his burgundy suit at the height of fashion.

"Hello, Illea! I'm Royce Fadaye, your host this evening, and welcome to the Illea Capitol Report! Now, tonight I have a very special announcement, but I'm not quite the right person to do it. Please give a warm welcome for Illea's triplet princes!" He said, looking towards the wings while still keeping his attention on the cameras, gesturing for the triplets to come out.

Fitz lead the way, the Luke and Sam close behind him, and they sat down in the three chairs opposite Royce's.

Fitz gave him a warm smile, Samuel giving him a sort of smirk, and Luke put an expression on his face that he hoped seemed friendly, and not gruesome. He snuck a peek at the monitor that hung above the cameras, and was thankful that his face looked alright.

He watched Fitz and Royce engage in casual banter for a minute, then Royce subtly snuck the question into the conversation, with all the mastery of a professional talk show host. They had just said something about Fitz's birthday when he did it, and he directed the question towards all three boys, though Fitz immediately answered.

"So, now that you're twenty, do you three have any special plans coming up?" He asked, leaning back into his chair.

Fitz nodded. "We do, so this is the perfect time to make the announcement! I'm pleased to say that we will be having a selection, all three of us together," fake gasps came from the audience, and Luke could almost hear the squeals of excitement coming from all over the country. Fitz sneakily nudged him, letting the audience digest the facts before it was time for Luke to speak.

"All girls, ages 17-21, will be spent an application in the mail to fill out. In about a month, those selected will be revealed. However, people of Illea, this is no ordinary selection. With all three of us having the selection simultaneously, we're accepting two girls from each province!" He read off the teleprompter, knowing that he sounded like a robot.

Thankfully, Royce saved him, and he didn't have to talk for the rest of the report.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After the report, once the lights had finally died, Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

It was over, and now he didn't have to worry about looking like a fool in front of the entire country.

It could have gone better, but it hadn't gone worse, which was what counted. What he didn't know was that things were about to get much, much worse, and that was when the sirens started.

* * *

 **Okay, ending it with a really bad cliffhanger might not have been the best way to do it, but it worked. I decided to focus some more of the spotlight on Luke this chapter, just because I was already on a roll with him, and let's face, the poor thing needed some more interesting things to happen in his life.**

 **Speaking of interesting things, I have a question for everyone. I've been thinking about writing a series of short stories, maybe 5 chapters each, about the lives of different characters before the selection.**

 **What I need to know is which character you'd like to see one on first, so I've created a poll and put it on my profile!**

 **SYOC update: Nothing new has happened, since the last chapter was released recently, but keep submitting characters! If you have a reserved spot, you have to get that character in next weekend, but I'll give you a warning if we get to that point and she's still not submitted.**

 **Let me know if you liked this chapter, completely hated it, or have mixed feelings about it in a review!**


	7. Inevitable Change

**Prince Fitz's POV**

"Alright, Fitz, commence the useless information we totally don't need to know!" Samuel grinned, typing something into his phone, his back flat on the plush carpet of the room.

Fitz rolled his eyes with as much dignity as he could muster, and looked around the room. He had decided to call a meeting, a powwow of sorts, to discuss the upcoming selection with his brothers, and had spent most of the day preparing, leafing through the binders that Jadie had given them, highlighting useful information that they could use. He felt that it was always best to be prepared, especially in this case. The Selection was one of Illea's original ideas, and he knew that he would have to find a good queen for when he became , Fitz was certain that it would be him. As the first born, and most qualified for the job, it would naturally fall to him, but Fitz supposed that his father wouldn't want to hurt their feelings. It may have been an oversimplification, but the very fact that he was first born would automatically give him the job. Plus, Sam and Luke had never said they wanted to be king. Sam was too wild, and Luke just didn't know what he was doing. Confident in the fact that the selection would be of most use to him, he had decided to let his brothers off a bit easily.

That afternoon, Fitz had checked with Jadie to see which rooms were open, and found one that had seemed to be a good size. It had a large window on one wall, but it wasn't attached to a balcony. Sam had been in enough accidents furniture wasn't in there when he had arrived, and dragging a few desk chairs in was easy. He had also looped some bright, colored lights over the walls and set up a table.

The table was for various snacks, since he had come up with the brilliant idea of calling it a "Planning Party" in hopes to get Sam to come, and he had promised Luke food.

Speaking of Luke, he still hadn't arrived, and Fitz checked his watch. It was already 8:47, and the planning meeting/party/thing had officially started at 8:40. It wasn't at all like Luke to be the last one to arrive, he seemed to prefer slipping in unannounced and waiting for everyone to notice he was there.

Fitz quickly checked the closet and behind one of the chairs, much to Sam's amusement.

"Bro, what're you doing?" Asked Sam, mid-laugh, still looking at something on his phone. Fitz shot him a potent death glare, and walked over to him, snatching the glowing phone out of his hand and replacing it with a binder that had laid abandoned on the floor. He swiftly marched over to the window, and opened it.

"Hey!" Shouted Sam, moving to get up, but it was too late. The phone went falling down to it's demise. Well, not really, since he had signalled the guard below before he did it, but Sam looked like someone had just thrown a baby into an incinerator. He pushed Fitz out of the way, and looked out the open window, and saw the guard standing there. He waved, and gave Fitz a thumbs-up. Fitz waved back, then gave a pointed look at Sam.

Sam grumbled, muttering something under his breath, and started to fidget with his sweatshirt drawstrings before grabbing a bag of chips from the table and tearing it open, before slumping back down in his former position.

Fitz started to pace around the room, checking the clock every few seconds, wanting to get this over and one with so he could get some sleep before tomorrow, when the Selection lottery took place. Thankfully, he was saved by a very sweaty Luke running through the room's door.

"Sorry! I lost track of time, and I was a few miles away when I realized, and I had to run back-" He began, but Fitz held up a hand to silence him. It was a gesture the three had seen their father use many times, placating some official or getting them to be quiet, and Luke automatically fell silent.

"Thank you for joining us, Luke. Can we get started? Now that we're all here, it's time. Help yourself to an food on the table. Tomorrow is the selection lottery, when the 70 girls will be picked to come here and attempt to win our hearts, but we need to go over exactly how the entire selection process works, from start to finish," Fitz said, pausing for effect, launching into one of the speeches that would always win over whatever foreign official or officer he was trying to win over. It didn't have quite the same effect on Sam, but Luke had sat down and was listening, his head tilted. It wasn't very helpful that he had beads of sweat pouring down his face from his run, or that he was basically sitting in a gaseous cloud of underarm stink, but Luke somehow managed to pay attention. Sam, on the other hand, was staring at the wall and eating chips, though every so often he would grunt or make some other sound effect to convey his feelings.

"To begin. Over the past month, since the report, applications have been filled out by girls from all of the provinces of Illea, and tomorrow a lottery will select two from each province. Unlike those of the past, our reactions will not be aired on television, since the amount of time it would take for the whole process would overtake the time allotted for the report. Instead, the names will be called on television after they have been selected, and we will not be present during that time. Mom is scheduled to go down and say a few words, as is tradition, but we will watch from our rooms. During the lottery process, Jadie has agreed to let us watch, and she'll make us new binders to study the girls once they have been selected. She estimates that it will take about an hour to make these, but she can get them to us quicker than most people would. After the girls have been selected, we will have one week until they arrive at the palace, at which point the selection will begin. Since the seventy girls will take up much of the space in the palace, we are advised to eliminate ten of them within the first three days. Are you both with me so far?" He asked, then sighed.

They didn't seem to be listening anymore, but he kept talking until he realized that Sam had fallen asleep, and Luke was nodding off. He roughly shoved Sam, then walked over to Luke and tapped him on the shoulder. Luke muttered something about frying pans, and Sam just fell on his face.

Fitz groaned, and picked up one of the water glasses on the table.

"Get up, or I'm splashing you with the water. Yes, you, Prince Small!" He said, seeing that Sam had cracked one eye open. Samuel glared at him, upset about the nickname, and pulled himself off the floor.

"I'm getting up. I'm going to bed, if you don't mind," He said, then proceeded to exit the room, leaving Fitz and Luke alone. Luke left shortly after, but Fitz made sure to give him the binder before he did. He was certain that Jadie would lecture them tomorrow anyway, so it wasn't any harm to give him it

Once he was alone, he asked a maid to clean up the room, and headed to bed.

* * *

 **A** **uthor's Note: Sorry that this took so long! I actually wrote this awhile ago, as a practice and to help myself figure out what I was going to do with the characters, but I needed to put something with this and this was the only eligible thing I found. I have an announcement!**

 **I AM CLOSING THE SYOC TOMMOROW. YES, TOMMOROW, BUT RESERVATIONS WILL BE HELD UNTIL MONDAY. IF YOU HAVE A RESERVATION, PLEASE GET IT IN QUICKLY, BECAUSE I NEED TO START THIS.**

 **I'm planning how long this will take, so here's a quick summary of what's going to happen. I was originally going to add this on to the actual chapter part, but we can get this over with sooner if I put it down here. I'm not sure if any of you actually read my author's notes, so this might be completely useless.**

 **First, I'm going to have some time where I eliminate only the throwaway characters. No submitted characters should be eliminated until some major events start happening. I'll try to give each character a fair amount of screen time, and I hope to really churn out chapters quickly once we get into the selection.**

 **Second, it will be awhile until we get into the elite. In the story, it's about early August, and the elite will only be chosen in October. In the story, of course. The number of elite might change, but right now I'm planning for it to include 21 girls. It may seem like a lot, but in selections other than Maxon's and Eadlyn's, I think they had ten. If each prince had ten girls, this would last forever, and I don't want that. Also, we'll have a top fifteen. More on that later.**

 **Anyway, get your characters in! Please! With cherries and other more yummy things on top!**

 **Don't forget to review if you liked this chapter, or have any constructive commentary on what I should fix.**


	8. Waiting- Part One

**Warning- We still have two more chapters to go before names are drawn. Just giving you a heads up that you'll have to read through this first.**

* * *

 **Prince Samuel's POV**

Samuel thought that it would have been wonderful day to do something stupid, but no, the world had other plans for him. Plans such as being forced to attend the selection lottery with his brothers and watch as his life was slowly ripped away from him, name by name, each girl predicting his impending doom. He was thankful that they at least gave them the courtesy of not having to broadcast their facial expressions to the nation, because that would have been humiliating.

It was freezing in the room where the names were being drawn, and the thin suit jacket that he was wearing couldn't have done anything to help him. He would have needed a parka and furs to even pass for an acceptable temperature in here. Heck, a polar bear could have frozen to death in that room! He shivered, then looked over to see what everyone else was doing as they awaited the drawing to take place.

Fitz was talking about something to Jadie, gesturing over at the huge containers of names that had been dragged into the room and were taking up most of the space every few seconds, apparently going over last minute details about planning things that didn't concern Sam in the slightest. Fitz looked at ease, relaxed, the exact opposite of what Luke looked like.

Luke had his head against the wall, his blonde hair messed up and sticking out at weird angles, looking a bit green in the face. Sam honestly hoped that he would throw up, because that would be much more interesting to watch than waiting for icicles to hang out of his nostrils. He anxiously tapped a foot against the floor, checking the clock again.

The selection committee still hadn't arrived, which meant they couldn't get started. Even his parents looked apprehensive, though Queen Kriss probably just wanted to get some sleep. She had been unusually tired lately, and Sam had started to worry. It wouldn't be good if she got sick, with the selection coming. To say that the only person he cared about was his mother might have a slight tone of truth to it.

He fidgeted with a button on his suit, wanting them to start the thing before he exploded because his insides were frozen solid. Would that even explode him? He wasn't sure, but he did know that he didn't want to be exploded in any way, shape or form.

At this, Sam nearly started laughing.

Less than an hour away from one of the events that could change his life forever, and he was worried about being cold. A girl could be picked that he would eventually marry, a girl would be picked that would be the future queen of Illea.

Of course, that girl would need to win over Fitz to do so, but that wouldn't be that hard. Fitz wouldn't know what love was unless it walked up to him in Jadie Flores's neon pantsuit and hit him in the face with a chair.

Sam was positive that his oldest triplet had never even had a girlfriend. It was hard to say that Fitz wasn't necessarily good-looking, being Sam's own brother, but he wasn't nearly as cute as Sam himself.

He thought back to his last girlfriend, which had been nearly two years ago, and he had completely messed that relationship up. Fitz or Luke wouldn't have made the same mistakes he had, but it wouldn't have mattered if it had been during a selection.

Past mistakes weren't going to help him out of his present situation. Even knowing what not to do wouldn't give him an inkling about what was to come.

Being a few years out of practice wasn't going to help, either, especially when he really got to know the girls. Sam mentally face palmed. He was still the same person who was ready to fall off a third story balcony to avoid this event, and now he was daydreaming about kissing one of the girls? And even if one of the seventy actually liked him as a person, highly doubtful, he might not have feelings for her. What if he messed up and ended up married to someone he would grow to hate? What if Luke or Fitz stole the girl of his dreams right out from under his nose?

Scratch that. Luke wouldn't ever do such a thing. In fact, Sam was positive that he was the only one out of the three who had actually had a girlfriend. Good, he had more experience than them. Would they just let him get married and be done with it once he found his one, or would they make him wait until all three of them had picked?

Luke always took forever to make up his mind, even on the simplest things. He had spent a whole ten minutes trying to decide which breakfast cereal to eat once, there was no telling how long it would take him to choose the love of his life.

Thinking about Luke, Sam didn't even realize when his blonde-haired brother made his way over to him, retreating from his position over at the wall. It took a slight cough to make him snap out of it.

"Sam? Can I ask you something?" Luke asked, his brow furrowed in panic, his hands wringing together in a state of anxiety. Sam assumed a relaxed, confident position before answering.

"Sure thing. What do you need? Any pointers on how to pick up the ladies?" He grinned, trying to appear as the same idiot he always was.

Luke groaned, and shook his head. "I'll leave that to you, but it does involve girls," He said, looking even more nervous with each word. This was fun, and Sam could do this all day.

"Oh, is someone keeping a secret?" He teased, wondering what Luke was going to say. He never came to him for help, always Fitz or their father, so it was a totally new experience.

"No! I just wanted to ask you what you think about Katelin getting into the selection," Luke replied, answering too quickly. He had a secret, but of what nature, Sam couldn't say. Katelin wasn't what he was expecting for his topic, but it did fit, since Luke had been spending a little too much time making sure the girl was recovering well enough.

Samuel had done some research over the past week, and had discovered that Katelin was from Sota. She was a two, and an athlete, daughter of the great actor Torin Lee, with all the requirements for a perfect life. He had no idea how Jadie fit into the picture, or even why she wasn't living it up with Torin in Sota, but the resemblance between mother and daughter was unmistakable. While Katelin lacked Jadie's chocolate colored skin, and her cinnamon shaded hair was usually straitened so it lacked it's curl, the nose, eyes, and build were eerily similar. If you dumped her in a vat of liquid cocoa, didn't straighten her hair, and dyed her hair, she would be a perfect stunt double for Jadie. Yeah, he had really overthought that.

Luke looked at him expectantly, and Sam was jerked back to the present.

"She's insane. That's all I'm saying. I think she must want Fitz, since she obviously hates me, and she's not the type you'd go for," He said, trying to rectify his long pause.

Luke looked a little hurt, and walked off without another word. Maybe that hadn't been the right way to do that, then. He shrugged it off. That's what Luke got for coming to him with advice. Before Fitz could come over and initiate another awkward encounter, Sam was saved by the arrival of the selection committee.

"Right this way, if you please! Silvia, so good to see you! Ms. Celeste, it's been so long, and Ms. Natalie, you look lovely! I see the rest of the committee is here, so can we proceed? The princes are right over here, if you would like to talk with them," Said Jadie, nearly bouncing in her vibrant teal stilettos.

He immediately recognized Celeste Newsome. Her brown hair was done to perfection, up in a slick high ponytail with a red rose attached. Her face was still coated in makeup, not much having changed from her days in the selection, but it was a little less than it used to be. She looked older, of course, than she did in pictures from his father's selection, but she was still the prettiest girl in the room.

She strutted over to his mother and began talking, but quickly fell silent once Natalie got started. He could nearly see them in their late teens, his age, all standing around and waiting for Maxon to call on them, all hoping that they would be the one. From the slight frostiness of the look Celeste gave Kriss, a little resentment still remained.

None of the selection committee came over to talk with them, and soon it was time.

The Selection was about to begin.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm going to *Try* to keep this brief, but as usual, I have announcements. I might not have to put them in the next two chapters, if I can get them done tonight.**

 **The SYOC is basically closed, with a few exceptions. If you have promised me a character and not made a reservation, please try to get that in. If you have a reservation, get that in. If you just have never seen this and want to submit a character, please do! However, you need to just get them in, since I can't wait any longer.**

 **For all of the wonderful people who have submitted characters, thank you so, so, much! I'm nearly bursting to start writing with them, and I promise I'll try not to kill them off. That was a joke.**

 **I do realize that I've messed up on a lot of things, the worst being the character form. I didn't put any face claims, or other very important things on there, but if you have them, give them to me! I will need to ask for a few things, so be prepared.**

 **Also- New poll up on my profile! It will determine an important something later in the story, so you might want to vote.**


	9. Waiting- Part Two

**And another chapter! I was going to try to get the whole set of three done today, but I need sleep. I'll finish it tomorrow!**

* * *

 **Prince Fitz's POV**

Inside, Fitz was a giant bundle of nerves, but he couldn't let anyone know that. He was required to keep a calm demeanor, and if that meant talking to Jadie Flores for a solid hour, so be it.

"As usual, your selection will include group events and whatnot, but we will continue having individual dates, though it may be harder to do with the large size of this group. We would recommend having a set of girls that you'll date, and sets for the others, maybe swapping if you really don't like someone, and if the others don't like them, we can eliminate them. The eliminations will be much harder, since we have to deal with the opinions of all three, but you're all old enough to handle this. Your parents have already promised to stay out of this as much as they can, so no need to worry about that! I have a friend, Naomi Wilkes, she'll occasionally pop in to help. Oh, have I gone over reports yet?" She asked, her pantsuit hard to look at, but he endured the pain for the greater good.

"I don't think you have. Mind telling me about what you have planned?" He asked, fully aware that she had numerous times, but wanting to keep her occupied. He took a quick look around the room at the others, and frowned. They certainly were not attempting to stay positive.

"I haven't? Well, better go over it all again! They're every Friday, so you should usually have time to prepare... "

Fitz began to space out, nodding and giving a short remark at the appropriate times, but generally focusing on his thoughts.

He had made list after list of what the girls might be like, the probabilities of what castes they might be from, what caste from which province, and so forth. According to his calculations, at least one of the girls from Baffin would be a six, and at least two of the seventy girls would be adopted. It was math, after all, and it was one thing that could always be trusted. Even when human nature came into play, math triumphed. This didn't mean he didn't appreciate calculators, though.

It was a bit of an obsession, really, thinking about what they could turn out to be like. The probabilities of personality types and hair color had been the first things to be calculated, but he didn't stop there. No, he would attempt to figure out which he would be most compatible with, an experiment that had yielded results that were subpar. Whether he looked best with a blonde or a brunette wouldn't matter to Illea, they would only care that he chose someone who wasn't a completely horrible human being. If he was lucky, everyone in the selection would be, but he knew that luck never favored those who expected things of the world.

The main problem of this selection was keeping Luke and Sam away from the girls that he liked the best. While Luke may have been predictable and easily distracted, Sam was not. Sam was the kind of person who would make out with someone's girlfriend for the fun of it, and simultaneously ruin his own relationship with someone in the process. Tamara had never really been the same after Sam, curse his traitorous soul, had taken her from him and ended up kissing her in front of Sam's current girlfriend, a girl who had been away visiting family for some time.

Tamara had explained the entire story, right before Fitz sent her home. It was enough trouble for her to be dating a prince, and the poor girl wasn't able to deal with his tried to remember the name of Sam's ex-girlfriend.

It sounded like something from Greek mythology, but he wasn't sure.

Fitz had dated a few girls over the course of his life, five if you needed the exact count, but no one had ever seemed to notice.

Tamara, Misty, Ophelia, Corinne, and Marcia.

He could still name all of them, along with their favorite colors, birthdays, and the exact moment that they had broken up. Sometimes a good memory was a bad thing.

He desperately hoped that he could find someone in the selection, even though love at first sight wasn't exactly something he believed in. Love? Yes. True Love? Maybe. Soul Mates? It was a stretch, but a tiny part of him did. Love at first sight happened to be a ridiculous concept, since you were never supposed to judge a book by it's cover. He had learned that, by personal experience, from the time he spent in the palace's two libraries.

He noticed that Jadie was starting to talk about the large containers of names, which he had tried to avoid looking at, and pulled his focus back.

"Oh, yes, it's a brilliant way to do this!" He said, starting to wave his hands about for making it seem like he was more enthusiastic about the topic than he actually was.

Fitz glanced back at Sam, and was surprised to see that he was shivering. It wasn't that cold in here, was it?

On the other hand, Luke seemed to be having a nervous breakdown. He had his head pressed up against the wall, and was leaning on it for support. That wasn't a good sign.

Fitz continued talking to Jadie, the time flying by, and didn't even notice when she had stopped and was heading across the room to talk with the recently arrived Selection committee, the people who would pick the names out of the containers.

He smiled to himself. It was almost time.

* * *

 **I apologize for making this shorter! If you haven't seen the chapter before this one, go read it.**


	10. Waiting, Part Three

**Prince Luke's POV**

"Sam? Can I ask you something?"

It had taken him nearly ten minutes to build up the courage to go ask Sam his opinion, and he was already regretting it. Honestly, asking the youngest Schreave triplet to do anything for you was a bad idea. It was too bad that he was the one with the most experience out of the three with matters involving girls. He looked around the room nervously after approaching him, and noticed that Fitz was attempting to keep Jadie talking, something that was probably a real sacrifice for someone like Fitz. He wrung his hands together nervously, hoping that Sam wouldn't just laugh at him and shoo him away, something that had crossed his mind as he was thinking about going up and speaking to him.

Sam looked like his usual self, probably plotting ways to ruin someone else's day. If Sam had really been shivering earlier, he certainly wasn't now, and Luke could see how first looks can be misleading.

"Sure thing. What do you need? Any pointers on how to pick up the ladies?" Sam grinned, and Luke groaned in response, regretting his decision even more. He would rather be over with Fitz, listening to Jadie babble on about something than be talking to Sam. Really, this was an absolutely awful idea on his part. Luke shook his head.

"I'll leave that to you, but it does involve girls," he replied, starting to feel more and more anxious with each word, suddenly aware of how little time he had until the committee arrived and began setting things in motion that he would rather avoid. Thinking about the committee, he had been surprised when he had earlier heard that a few veterans of the past selection would be coming, including the infamous Celeste Newsome.

Celeste had always been a point of controversy for the media, the two who made it into the Elite, and the model who was known across all of Illea. She had been loved by many unsuspecting citizens, many of which who mistook her snobbishness for mere business when she avoided them, the disguise she put on fooling everyone but the most perceiving of people when she had made it into the selection.

For a time, thanks to America Singer, Celeste had become better, but had eventually deteriorated into a state that was a mix of her former self and the person America had transformed her into. Her modeling career had somehow continued past the ordinary age, and now, over two decades later, she still lead the industry.

Luke often worried that someone in this selection would be like her, even multiple people, but they would probably go to Sam. A person like Natalie Luca, on the other hand, was someone who would probably try to go for him.

He looked back at Sam, and it had only been a moment since he had replied. It was funny how time flies when you're thinking.

"Oh, is someone keeping a secret?" Sam teased, smiling even more, enjoying this. It was expected of Sam to be like this, and at least Luke was prepared for teasing. Despite this, he may have answered a little too quickly.

"No! I just wanted to ask you what you think about Katelin getting into the selection," He said, and mentally face palmed. Sam was good enough at figuring out people that he would know immediately. He could see the chain of events in his mind. Sam telling, everyone laughing, Katelin getting incredibly mad and hitting him in the face with a frying pan, the selection being even more of an absolute nightmare than it already was.

Sam hesitated for a second, probably trying to formulate an answer that hurt him the most, or processing the information.

"She's insane. That's all I'm saying. I think she must want Fitz, since she obviously hates me, and she's not the type you'd go for," Said Sam, which confirmed his theory that he would say something that hurt the most, even if it was subconscious.

Still, it had hurt. He walked away from Sam without another word and leaned against the wall again, needing to think.

If Katelin wasn't there for him, could it have been that she liked Fitz? That would be a problem, and he didn't want anything of that sort to happen. This could be his one chance to actually be with Katelin, though he would have to make sure that he slowly detached himself from her before they had to eliminate her. As he had thought about this a few weeks ago, when he had first heard the Katelin had gotten into the selection, he had went over all the things that she might have done if she thought one of the other girls was a threat. Knowing her for so long, he knew what she would do in that situation, and he felt sorry for the girl who had to face Katelin's wrath, but she couldn't stay in the selection forever. Deep down, Luke knew that she wouldn't be the one, no matter how much she had convinced herself of that fact.

This lead him to thoughts of the other girls. More specifically, if another Katelin type person would show up. That would prove to be even worse of a dilemma than the one Katelin had already caused, since those two would probably kill each other. Accidently. Sort of. Well, not accidently at all, but Luke really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Sam was probably looking forward to the selection, and Fitz was probably neutral on it, though neither of them would be faced with the same dread he was on the matter. Neither of them had to deal with Katelin, and both of them were already noticed by Illea much more than he was.

Maybe he could be noticed, now, but would that even be a good thing? If he messed up in front of the entire nation, he certainly wouldn't want to be remembered for that.

As he thought about this, he noticed his parents approaching him.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom" Said Luke, smiling as they walked up, hoping they hadn't noticed his bout of wall-leaning and panicking. His father, looking perfect, as usual, came up to him. Kriss was only a few feet behind him, and rushed up to feel his forehead.

"Luke, how are you? Are you feeling okay? If you're feeling bad, we can always go get the doctor," She worried, probably feeling the cold from the wall and thinking he had some kind of deadly disease.

The Queen's hair was in cascading curls down her back, the same color hair that Fitz had, and her brown eyes shone with worry. Her elegant green dress was immaculate as usual, but Kriss always seemed to be convinced that she didn't look queenly enough. To Luke, only old pictures of Queen Amberly would have completed the image more than she did, but his mother was stubborn. She also had a habit of being a helicopter mom, and Luke had learned to deal with her.

"Kriss, he's fine. If anyone needs a doctor, it's you, my dear," Maxon said, turning to his wife, shaking his head. Kriss sighed, but it was true. She had dark circles under her eyes, covered up by large amounts of makeup, and she seemed weaker than usual. It might just have been lack of sleep, but something was wrong.

"Mom, are you okay?" He had to ask, though he already knew what her answer would be. His mother also was a big supporter of vehemently denying anything that might have caused her to not be perfect.

"Both of you, shush! I'm perfectly fine, as you should know." She scowled, waving her hands at both of them like she was shooing away pesky geese begging for crumbs. Maxon sighed.

"Dear-" Maxon started, but Kriss crossed her arms.

"No. I'm going to talk to Jadie, the committee should be here any minute. You two should talk," She said, and started to walk over to Jadie, her green dress swishing on the marble floors behind her.

"Kriss! Luke, your mother should really get a check up." Maxon called after her, but Kriss didn't respond and was already chattering away to Jadie about something.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, watching her, and watched Fitz slowly retreat from the scene. He hoped this didn't last too long, because he felt uncomfortable being alone with his dad for so long.

"I'm sure you're nervous, son, so I'll do what I can to help. Honestly, I'm not even sure how this is going to work," King Maxon said, staring at Kriss, looking like he was thinking.

"You aren't? Your selection, didn't you get to watch them go through with the lottery?" Luke asked, confused, wondering how his father had done his selection if he hadn't done something like this.

Maybe he wasn't present when it happened, or maybe they used a different method. He hadn't heard of anything like this before, and he scratched his head, wondering what good explanation there could be for this.

"It wasn't random, he chose the girls who would be the best for Illea and political reasons. The fives were only in it to make it seem random, which leads to why I'm doing it this way," His father replied, a sad smile on his face. He must have been thinking about America Singer, the five who nearly became queen. Luke had heard stories about her, and knew that his father was making a memorial to her memory. Something about a performing arts center, or something of that type?

It was surprising. A selection that wasn't random? No wonder Maxon didn't have any good things to say about his father, if that was what he did. A selection was bad enough, but having one where everyone was hand picked for you was worse.

"Does anyone else know?" He asked, wondering whether his father had told Fitz or Sam.

"We never told the country. It would have changed many things, but this time, we're hoping that having the names on the report in a separate place at the same time while we do this should help," Maxon explained, and Luke nodded. He noticed that his mother was walking up again, after talking with Natalie and Natalie had always gotten along well, so that wasn't a big surprise. Luke just hoped that Natalie hadn't had any more potentially disastrous ideas. He thought back to his 16th birthday party, and cringed.

"Oh." He said, realizing that his father was waiting for an answer. Kriss put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, letting him know that he was fine.

"That reminds me. Kriss, dear, I believe it's almost time for you to go over to the studio, is it not?" Maxon told Kriss, taking her hand, and looking over at the two former selected who had snuck up behind Kriss. Celeste wore an impatient expression on her face, while Natalie was looking off into thin air.

"I'll go over there right away, Maxon. Celeste, I think Jadie has something to talk with you about." She replied to his father, then gave Celeste a pointed look with a very obvious meaning. Those two had never gotten along well after America's death, so Natalie usually had to bridge the gap. Unfortunately, Natalie was predisposed in her daydreaming, and judging by the sour look Celeste was giving Kriss, some intervention was much need at this time.

"Of course she does. See you later, your highness?" Said Celeste, rolling her eyes and flipping her brown hair. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight, trying to gain control of the situation.

"Yes. Tell Natalie that I've arranged for us to have a snack in the gardens," Kriss smiled, and gave Natalie a little wave.

"Sure. Now, get going! We don't want the Queen of Illea to be late, do we?" Celeste shooed Kriss away, replicating the motion Kriss had given Maxon earlier, and gave her a sickly sweet smile. Luke winced, glad that he wouldn't really have to interact with her.

"No, Celeste. I'm going, I'm going!" Kriss hurried off, met by Jadie and another assistant. The other assistant starting leading her out of the door to the studio, and soon she was gone.

"Your Highness," Celeste smiled at Maxon, twirling her hair around her finger, but he nodded to her with little emotion.

"Celeste. How are you?" Luke looked warily at Celeste, worried that she was going to abduct his father or something like , she just smiled back, and adjusted the small purse she wore slung over her shoulder.

"Good, thanks. Is this Luke? You look just like your father," She asked, considering him, which Luke found to be even more uncomfortable than her just talking to Maxon. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off with that women. It was good that Jadie had done rigorous background checks of the committee, because he wasn't entirely sure that hadn't gone back to her old ways.

"Not really," He replied, realizing that he would be expected to answer. Shoot. This could take awhile, if Jadie didn't appear again soon.

"Natalie! Come meet Luke." Celeste gestured to the daydreaming blonde woman, who had started to take out a pencil and notebook and start doodling. Natalie looked up, and started to walk over. Maxon coughed.

"I'm going to let you three talk," Luke looked at him in desperation.

"Dad, please?" Last chance. He did not want to be alone with members of the committee, because they made his fate even more sure. Talking to them would be even worse for his nerves, and he wondered if he could puke on them to get them to leave.

"Sorry," The king made a hasty retreat, and Luke inwardly groaned.

"Oh, so this one is Luke?" Said Natalie, bouncing on her heels, blinking as she smiled at Celeste, who crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Yes, Natalie," Celeste seemed to think of Natalie as a child, one who needed to have things explained to them slowly and carefully. Luke noticed Jadie had come back, and frantically tried to make eye contact with her.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Natalie grinned, and shook his hand. Oh, thank goodness. Jadie was coming to his rescue. Luke mouthed a thank you to her, and she nodded.

"Natalie, Celeste, I need you over here with the rest of the committee!" Jadie told them, and started dragging Natalie with her.

"I'll be over in a second, Jadie," Celeste took some lipstick out of her purse and reapplied it.

"I'm coming!" Squeaked Natalie, clutching her wrist.

"Don't tell anyone else, but Natalie is kind of annoying. So, you're the middle prince? Good luck on your selection," Whispered Celeste, smiling at him, making Luke take a few steps back.

"Um, thanks?" He responded, seeing Fitz and being thankful that he seemed to be coming over here.

"I've got to go. Tell your brothers hello for me, will you?" Celeste left, and Luke breathed again.

"Is she gone?" Fitz poked out from behind a potted plant.

"Yeah," Luke replied, trying to keep from laughing about seeing his perfect older brother hiding behind a leaf.

"Phew. She's kind of intimidating, have you noticed?" Sam said, walking up to them with his hands in his pockets, watching her leave.

"She's better than . While I'm fairly impartial, I do not like to think about what life would be like if she was our mom," Fitz shuddered, It was true, Natalie was a bit of a dreamer, but it wouldn't be so bad.

"Like Celeste would be better?" Smirked Sam.

"Fitz is right. We'd have better inherited Dad's brains, otherwise they'd be filled with bubbles if we were her's," Luke said, thinking, then turned back to his brothers.

"Hmm. This conversation is weird. Think they'll start soon? I'm literally freezing to death" Sam mimed shivering, and pulled his suit jacket in tighter.

"I hope they start soon." Fitz tried to find Jadie, but had no luck.

"Samsicle." Luke laughed, creating a new nickname for his brother.

"That's worse than Small! And I'm cold! Can you not see the icicles growing on my eyebrows?" Sam waved his hands about and pointed at his eyebrows, then looked over at the committee.

"Calm down. I think they're about to start," Fitz saw them too, and took some sort of half strangled breath.

"Oh, we're so going to be six feet under." He groaned.

"It's not that bad. Only seventy rabid girls coming to ruin our lives,"

"Luke, we're not going to die. Sam, they don't have rabies. That's an animal disease-"

"Yawn, spare us the lecture."

"Boys, be quiet! We're about to start!" Jadie came over and shushed them.

It was finally time. The Selection was starting.

Author's Note: As you have probably noticed by now, this was a bit of a longer chapter, hence the time it took to get out. Hopefully, this will be the normal length from now on. I apologize for the end, I do realize that it trailed off a bit, but I wanted to get this started. I plan on getting at least two more chapters out today, the ones where the girls' names' are called, and will try to get to when they actually meet them. It's still going to be four chapters until the princes meet the girls, but there will be an arrival chapter where they first see them, and the binder chapters where they look through the forms. Stay tuned!


	11. The Selecting- Part One

**This is the first of the selection lottery chapters! If you submitted a girl, and she isn't in this chapter, she'll be in one of the next two.**

* * *

 **Prince Fitz's POV**

It was time. Fitz, his heart suddenly in his throat, attempted what should have been a deep breath and ended up coming out as a cough. The committee was standing poised next to the first province's lottery container, Allens, the names inside piled up like snow after a blizzard. The container was at least a 3ft long, and 3ft high, and there were 35 of them in the room. No wonder it felt cramped.

Fitz could imagine the carefully typed names, all transcribed by sixes at an office somewhere, printed out in sheets then cut into the tiny slips he saw now. It must have taken awhile, even for one province, and getting them all into that container without losing one? Time and effort had been put into this, but he was too anxious to appreciate it.

He needed lines, perfectly cut blades of grass, water that was completely still. He needed something relaxing to focus on, something neat and orderly and where nothing was out of order. The blizzard, the chaos of the many slips of paper, it wasn't helping at all.

This time, when he tried to breath, he could. He started to calculate how many papers were in the room, starting in each container then multiplying. It didn't seem like that many girls could exist in the entire universe, much less in the country. The room seemed bigger than it had been before, when he thought about numbers that size. No, he couldn't think like that. Then he'd get to the very meaning of life, get a migraine, and have to run out of the room and collapse. That would be bad.

Fitz gently pinched himself, and snapped back to what was happening. Sam looked like a squirrel who had just consumed ten cups of coffee, three power drinks, and enough sugar to kill a water buffalo. If he started to levitate, Fitz wouldn't have been surprised.

Luke looked deceptively calm, but the rhythmical tapping of his fingers on her wrist conveyed otherwise. In fact, if Fitz could have had a mind reading device right now, he was positive that it would say that each of the triplets was more nervous than they had ever been in their entire lives.

Jadie was whispering some last minute instructions to the committee, and occasionally would look over at the technical team who was making sure the names were called on the report only a few seconds after they had been announced in the room and yell something unintelligible to Fitz. He would make a mental note to study up on some more technical lingo in the future.

The TV turned on, and Royce Fadaye's face was shown on the screen, saying something to Illea. Everyone had to be watching, they'd be stupid not too. The hopes and dreams of all the girls from 17-21 in the nation had a chance of coming true, and Fitz was sure that everyone who entered was having visions of a happily ever after where they fell in love and wore ball gowns for the rest of time.

"Boys? Over here, please!" Jadie called, and beckoned them forward. Fitz moved as if in a trance, walking as if in a surreal dream.

"All you need to do is stand here and watch. We're going to flash pictures up on the screen, but only for a few seconds. Remember the binders I told you about? I'm going to get a team to work on them while we call the names so we can give them to you for studying purposes. Don't worry, everything will be fine," Jadie gave the boys a reassuring smile, the only one Fitz had ever seen from her.

Celeste and Natalie took opposing sides of the first province's container. Allens, which was on the opposite side of the country, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently the provinces would be in alphabetical order, something that made sense and was relieving to Fitz.

Celeste was the first to chose a name, reaching in and fishing around in the container, mixing up the slips of paper. Every one of them was folded so they couldn't be seen from the outside. Celeste was taking her time with this, for dramatic effect, and carefully snatched one from near the bottom, being careful not to take any other papers out as she did.

She raised it up to the light, and made a big show of reading the first name.

"The first girl from Allens. Kira Hewitt, a five," Celeste read, smiling, the technicians frantically working to show a picture of girl with sea blue eyes and blonde hair that was tied up in a ponytail with a braid running down the side. Fitz nodded unconsciously, looking at her face for the few seconds it was up, and seeing Royce announce it on the TV screen from the corner of his eye.

Natalie picked the second girl, and did it much quicker than Celeste had, grabbing one from the middle almost immediately and quickly unfolding it so she could see it.

"The second girl from Allens! Elizabeth Morey, a three," She read, bouncing a little.

Another blonde, this one with pale skin and a shy smile, popped up on the screen. Another name announced to the nation. Fitz wondered what she was doing, and what her reaction might have been. Most likely a lot of screaming and jumping around.

Celeste and Natalie moved to the next container after a slight pause, and took sides once again. It was Angeles, and he wondered if he would be able to here the joyous noises of the selected from the room. Maybe, maybe not.

Celeste still took her time with the first one, but wasn't quite as dramatic. If they were in luck, they'd eventually get her to the point where she wouldn't take all day to select the names of the first girls in each province.

"The first girl from Angeles. Chiara Garcia, a three," Celeste said, and a picture of a girl with inky black hair and bangs was put on screen, her hair pulled up with a lilac ribbon, her smile sweet and small. Fitz immediately liked her. She seemed nice, and as a three, maybe they would share a common interest.

Natalie went again, and was still quicker than Celeste when picking a paper. She reached down to the very bottom of the container, and had to shake another paper off the one she had grabbed.

"The second girl from Angeles! Sophea Vaughn, a two," Natalie smiled, and Celeste perked up a bit. Fitz faintly remembered seeing the two in some movie, meaning that she must have been an actress. Her smile was bright, but her eyes seemed different. Maybe it was the fake eyelashes she must have been wearing, or the caramel colored hair, though she might just have been a genuinely nice person who happened to be a two.

Atlin was next, and Celeste repeated her process, checking her nails before she did so and making sure that they were still the vibrant ruby red color they had been a few seconds before.

"The first girl from Atlin. Willow Reinhardt, a three," Celeste gave the camera a blinding smile as it took a picture of her selection Willow's name, and Fitz almost missed the picture up on the screen. A brunette, with blue eyes that were framed by curtain of hair that fell in waves.

"The second girl from Atlin! Albany Harding, a four," Natalie focused more on the name then on the camera, and Fitz was able to see Albany's picture more clearly. Hazel eyes, thick hair, and an interesting star shaped birthmark near her nose. Looking at her eyes, he could see faint flecks of other colors.

Next was Baffin, Illea's farthest north province, one where it was supposed to be cold most of the time, which Fitz couldn't really contemplate. Angeles would be very different than that far north, and he wondered if the girls would have a hard time adjusting.

"The first girl from Baffin. Neaera Deveraux, a six," Celeste said. Fitz gave a slight smile, glad that his predictions that there would be a six from Baffin came true. Neaera was a pretty name, and one that he hadn't heard very often. Neaera herself was smiling almost sadly in the picture, like something sad had happened, and Fitz spent so much time considering the possibilities that he missed the second girl from Baffin and they had already moved on to the first girl from Bankston.

Another six, with another unusual name. Illonie Everill. A girl with black, curly hair and a dimpled smile, her eyes seeming to sparkle with happiness.

After that came Belcourt. Celeste drew out another six, Evangeline Montgomery. She had the same sort of expression that Fitz had seen in pictures of Celeste's application, but he was confused. Evangeline was a six, so wouldn't she be more reserved? Obviously, Fitz didn't know what to think of her.

Natalie called out Cosette Wagner, a five. Her eyes were lively and stood out, probably her most noticeable feature. She looked like a sweet and rather calming girl. Fitz could see himself with her, having someone to talk to and tell things. It would be nice, for a change, to confide in someone.

"The first girl from Bonita! Abrielle Crossdale, a two," Another two, which wasn't all that bad, since Abrielle seemed like a good person. Her name matched what he had heard of the southern province. He had also distantly heard of her work as a fashion designer, and he knew that she might have people rooting for her because of it. At least she didn't seem self-centered.

Carolina, the province of the famed America Singer, was next. His father seemed to adapt an expression akin to what he might have looked like if he was trying not to break down, and Fitz suddenly felt odd.

If she had lived, would Maxon have picked her? If so, he wouldn't exist. Kriss would have gone home, probably not having children, watching the palace from afar. Maxon would have lived happily, his America by his side, and they would have had other children. He highly doubted that they would have had triplets, but some version of him could have been around. The country would have also changed radically, since he had heard that Maxon had seemed more withdrawn, less passionate, after America's death. He had lost too many people that he loved for any changes to the country to be made, and the chance of him doing anything even close to that had been taken away when he heard that his cousins on his mother's side had died, along with the French future queen, both in different circumstances, but both contributing to Maxon's slow decline.

Celeste picked the first girl from Carolina. At least she was moving faster.

"The first girl from Carolina! Maisynn Ingenium, a three," Celeste announced her quickly, seeing Maxon's expression and trying to move through the province as fast as possible. Fitz could see his mother's face on the TV, and she seemed to have stiffened, probably having the same thought process he had. Maisynn was another blonde, and had freckles. As long as she didn't look like America, he could be relaxed.

"The second girl from Carolina! Sterling..." Natalie trailed off, looking over at Maxon. "Sterling America Everett," The name was like a dictionary to the face for Maxon. May Everett, formerly May Singer, had visited the palace several times, and her daughter, Sterling, had come with her once. He could here his mother letting out a faint gasp on TV, and faint whispers came from around the room. America Singer's niece. Fitz looked over at Sam, who seemed just as shocked as he was.

He saw his father walk out of the room, and Jadie had to run around waving her arms and clipboard at people to keep them moving.

"People! We need to keep going!" She yelped, frantically waving her clipboard at Celeste and Natalie to keep going. Celeste rolled her eyes, but continued, selection the first girl for her home province of Clermont.

"The first girl from Clermont. Cameron Vienna, a five," Celeste said, still sounding slightly unnerved from watching the king flee out of the room. Natalie, who also looked a bit put off, walked forward, seeming a bit less dreamy then usual. Cameron had beautiful dark blue eyes, and her black hair was pinned up to frame her face.

Natalie picked a slip of paper and read the name off of it.

"The second girl from Clermont. Ashla Corden, a two." Natalie was dejected, and looked around to see what everyone was doing. She shrugged, and tossed her blonde hair. Fitz watched the picture flicker up on the screen, and then it was time to move on to Columbia.

"The first girl from Columbia. Mae Fleur, a six," Celeste said, taking the paper off the top of the pile and opening it. Another six? It seemed like half of the girls so far were sixes, but Illea's population would have had to be different than what the last selection's girls showed.

"The Second girl from Columbia. Avriella Rhys, a two," At this, Celeste looked enraged, mostly at the fact that Natalie was selecting all the twos. Fitz looked over at Sam to see his reaction, and found him shivering like he had been moments before.

* * *

 **Sorry about the ending, I keep having to finish them off really quickly so I can post them before the century ends. It's longer than I planned, and I still have two more of these to write!**


	12. The Selecting, Part Two

**Prince Sam's POV**

He was still freezing. Honestly, didn't this room have a temperature on the thermostat that was even a little above absolute zero? It was getting hard to concentrate on the selected girls, and the pictures seemed to flash by so fast he could barely tell what color the girl's hair was. No one else was shivering, or even appeared cold, not even Celeste, who was wearing a red strapless dress with a black lace shrug that didn't look like it was doing anything in ways of keeping her warm.

Sam was mentally grumping about the cold when his father left the room, but he didn't see what the big deal was. Yeah, the girl was related to the famed America Singer. Did that mean he was obliged to pick her? Nope. It was getting ridiculous, really, how everyone was making such a fuss over the girls.

Celeste was moving to another container, after Natalie had read the name of Avriella Rhys. Her heels clacked against the floor, walking around like she controlled the room, and everyone scrambled to get out of her way. He had heard rumors about Natalie and Celeste staying at the palace, but that had been before the members of the committee changed, so he didn't know whether it was true or not.

Originally, Marlee Woodwork, another former Elite, had been part of the committee, but an unfortunate death prevented her from coming. After the selection, a few years later, Marlee had gotten engaged to a palace guard that had been there during the selection. She said that she hadn't known him during her time at the palace, but rumors went around, and the couple had to wait nearly five years before they could get married without charges being pressed against them. They had recently suffered the loss of Kile Woodwork to a rebel attack in Kent, and Marlee had decided that she would rather mourn her son than visit the palace. Kriss seemed to be disappointed that Marlee hadn't been able to attend, but had welcomed Natalie with open arms,

Natalie, walking up to take her place on the opposing side of the container, was wearing a cream colored dress with a more practical cardigan over it, the dress long sleeved with a large bow on the woven gold belt,along with one of her statement jewelry pieces that Sam thought weighed twenty pounds. It was a ornate golden flower, speckled with gems, the edges curled and curved in a sophisticated blossom that hung on a tiny linked chain dotted with tiny rose buds cast in silver. Natalie wore her hair up in a series of tendrils that framed her face, but kept forgetting about them and trying to toss her hair, as if imitating Celeste.

Celeste's red dress hugged her figure, as was to be expected by the women's usual standards, and had a purple sash tied around the middle, clipped with a golden flower that resembled Natalie's necklace. It was quite possible that the two had planned it intentionally, though for what reason, Sam couldn't say. She towered above everyone else, and she wore a jeweled headband that sparkled in the light. It was a good thing his mother was gone, because those two easily outshone her.

Denbeigh was next, with Celeste snatching up a paper with incredible speed and reading the name, taking a second to read it before she announced it to the whole room with the same flair she had for the rest of them.

"The first girl from Denbeigh! Taylor Bray, a six," She smiled, and turned to watch it announced on the report. Taylor was, in fact, very pretty, but she wasn't exactly Sam's type. Another six, which was a little irritating. Unlike his father's selection, they weren't getting the group of twos who looked a bit more pliable, and easily discarded, they were getting girls who would be very hard to get rid off. At least most of them would probably hate him, so he could let the others pick who they didn't like.

Truthfully, he was hoping that someone would actually like him, and it wouldn't end up with him being surrounded by girls who wanted to put his face on a target and pepper it with bullets. Maybe someone would like to talk to someone who had his sense of humor, or be with someone who was more than likely to take awhile to get to know someone. He could only name one relationship that had been serious, to him at least, and it hadn't ended well.

As he was absorbed in his self-pity, he noticed that a few provinces had passed. Next up was Fennley, a province that was one of the few that he hadn't visited.

"The first girl from Fennley! Jessica Carter, a three," Celeste was even more confident and showy with Maxon gone, and might have even been making a joke of it. She was the dominant force in the room, after all, and was determined to act like it.

Jessica Carter had remarkable silvery-blonde hair, and though she definitely appeared to be someone who would detest him, she was cute. He looked over at Luke and Fitz to see how they were reacting to her, and Fitz had his usual stoic expression on, while Luke was more subdued, and his right eye was twitching.

The girl from Hansport was better, but she was the first seven selected so far. The people would love that a seven was in, but Sam still had to figure out what made Aurelia Coralie tick. A strawberry blonde, with a beaming smile that made Sam immediately like her. Now, that was someone he could get along with.

Honduragua gave them Cija Naoumov, and he couldn't pronounce her name to save his life. However, her curly hair and warm skin made up for the name, and as a five, she probably had a nice personality to match. Honduragua was a notorious source of pollution, and didn't have the best health standards, but his deceased grandmother had been born there, so it couldn't be all that bad.

He'd heard Queen Amberly's story, mostly through his father and various letters that she had sent to her sister, Adele. She had died before he was born, but that didn't mean he didn't know anything about her. She had been a four, and had been one of the greatest examples of the selection to date. A women of the people, rising to glory- everyone hoped that Fitz would marry someone like that, since no one had even ever thought that all three of them would get a selection. Sam could probably marry anyone he wanted, except it had to be someone that his parents approved of.

Thinking about his future wife made him wonder if he had already seen her. What if he hadn't, what if it had been a picture that had flashed up on the screen while he was distracted? The prospect of having his first glimpse of the women he would spend the rest of his life with was a strange sort of feeling.

"The first girl from Hudson! Renalie Stark, a three," Celeste kept reading the names, smiling like she was giving a gift to the universe, and letting Natalie do the next. Renalie looked a bit older than some of the other selected, which meant that she was probably 21. Two years older than him. It wasn't horrible to have someone younger than him, but older? That could be uncomfortable.

"The first girl from Kent! Gloria Saylor, a two," Celeste looked delighted to have finally been the one to select a two, and announced it even louder than she had the last few. Gloria looked very two-ish, like the stereotypical snob of a two who would be interesting to have around. Sam didn't care, Luke or Fitz would most likely take care of her soon enough.

"The second girl from Kent! Mazie O'Keeffe, a five," Natalie, once again, had to detach a few papers from Mazie's, and Sam wondered whether his life would end up differently if another name had been picked. Mazie, much like her name suggested, seemed to be Irish, given her red hair and freckles. Her hair was in braids, and it was easy to tell that the picture had been taken recently, because of the summer sun. Blue eyes and red hair were apparently the rarest combination, from what Fitz had lectured them about some time or another.

So far, it was apparent that blondes were the leading hair color out of the selected. Strawberry blondes, platinum blondes, and all other shades kept popping up. He wasn't sure if Fitz had said something about that statistic, but knowing him, he probably had. His calculating was annoying, as if he had to be perpetually perfect.

Celeste drew the girl from Labrador, and read her name to the room. Adelacia Moreau, which sounded European. French, maybe? The girl was a five, with dark brown hair that was almost black, and she had bold green eyes that were focused on the camera.

Shortly after, another five popped up. Elia Mike, whose name was much easier to say then Adalacia. She smiled in her picture, but it was a shy smile, which lead Sam to think that Fitz or Luke would like her much better than he would. To him, it was fascinating how castes didn't always define personalities, how fives didn't always have the same spunk as America Singer, or how not all twos were quite as snobbish as Celeste.

It was time for the girl from Likely to be selected, and Sam started to feel a sort of nonchalant detachment from the proceedings. It felt like it was happening to someone else, in another life, but he didn't care. In fact, if this stayed the whole time, it would be over quicker, and he could go back to staring at a screen in his room.

"The first girl from Likely! Pandora D'Aboville, a five," Celeste called out, and Sam froze.

 _Oh, shit._

He stared at the picture, his thoughts in another spiral. It was her.

The colored hair, dyed into a vibrant rainbow of colors that might belong in some tropical paradise, colors brighter than Jadie's neon pantsuits. It was much longer than when he had last seen it, and her bangs were gone. The black hair with the pastel dip-dyed ends were gone, but it was still her.

The electric blue eyes, which had usually been lined with an orangey eyeliner and sported long black lashes were exactly the same, but they had a hint of something that hadn't been there the last time.

Even the small scar under her left eyebrow from when she hit her head.

Pandora D'Aboville. Sam's last girlfriend, from nearly two years ago, and she was going to be in his selection.

This really could be a problem, especially how things had ended between them.

* * *

 **Update- Yes, this is not a new chapter.**

 **IMPORTANT - NO FACECLAIMS ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED. DISREGARD WHAT WAS HERE BEFORE.**

 **Here's my reasoning-**

 **I only wanted to do face claims because I thought it would make this seem more professional, less like the mess it actually is. Honestly, I haven't gone through doing this process very well, and looking back on it now, I could have done something different from the beginning.**

 **The reason all face claims that have been turned in since the last announcement are going away is because someone said something about having to change their character, and I don't want everyone to have to make changes. If you've submitted a character and want to change major things about her, I can't really allow that because I'm trying to plan things for the story and it would mess everything up.**

 **I'm sorry for the inconvenience, or if you were expecting a new chapter, but this was something I needed to take care of, and I wouldn't be able to get a good chapter out in time to fix this.**

 **To everyone who has stayed through this mess of a story, thank you. I realize that I also haven't had a chance to thank anyone yet, and I really appreciate all of the reviews and other things.**

 **Remember- I've got a very important poll on my profile that might just change what the ending of the story could be, so go vote on your favorite prince! I promise I won't kill off the one who wins.**


	13. The Selecting, Part Three

**Please go back and read the author's note for the last chapter. Go. Do it. Please.**

* * *

 **Prince Luke's POV**

Luke was, by some miracle, less jittery than he had been earlier. It might have been the fact that they were already halfway through with the selecting, or that he had seen some of the faces of the girls who could end up being his future wife, but whatever it was, it was helping.

Turning to crane his neck and look over at the screen showing the Illea Capitol Report, he spotted Sam, looking like someone had just told him that being an idiot was illegal. He looked completely, utterly flabbergasted.

It must have been the last girl, Pandora. Maybe she looked familiar to Sam, or he had known her before? It didn't exactly concern Luke, but he would have to make sure to ask Sam who she was, if Sam didn't attempt to destroy him first.

Luke looked down at his hands, which were currently trying to pull his left pinkie finger off. It was a habit he often did when he was nervous, but not to the point of expressing it directly, like he had earlier. He mentally scolded himself, because one of these days he was actually going to lose a finger, and looked back at the screen to see how his mother was holding up on the report.

Her green silk dress was still draped over her as she sat on the chair that had been brought over to her, and it appeared like the people behind the report were trying to imitate a talk show, with his mother as the special guest. She was calm, serene, perfectly at ease, but he could still tell that she was tired, and wasn't feeling well. The circles under her eyes were covered up with makeup, which made her look almost normal. The makeup artists at the palace and who worked for the report were skilled, and he wondered what magic they would work on the girls.

Jadie had said something about them arriving in a week, and had also said something about having some sort of collection of the girls' applications ready for them to look at after the lottery was over. While he may not have shown it well, Luke was actually thankful for the hard work that Jadie put into everything for the selection, and was sure that the three would have been doomed if not for her. At the present, Jadie was rushing around, directly Celeste and Natalie to the next province, then making sure that the last girl had her name called on the report.

The way his mother and Royce were doing it, they would wait for a girl's name to pop up, then would read it aloud to Illea, the picture showing up on the screen behind them for the viewers to see. The two would make some remarks about the girl, Royce might have said something to make the audience laugh, and then it would be time to repeat the cycle. Meanwhile, on his end, after the princes had seen the girls and their names, Jadie would signal a technician to send it over to the report, and everything would go well.

As he waited for the first girl from Midston to be drawn, he played the game he had been playing in his head the entire time, about what the provinces were like. A large part of Midston used to be called Texas back when Illea was North America, and was in the country of the United States of America. The climate was supposed to be fairly warm. It was up against the Indigo Gulf, what had formerly been called the Gulf of Mexico. Luke thought that the name had bee switched after an oil company with the name of Indigo had set up oil rigs their, but he wasn't sure, since he didn't even know what an oil rig looked like. Learning was difficult.

"The first girl from Midston. Jillian Oxford, a three," Celeste read the name to the room, and he watched Jadie signal the technician before looking at Jillian's picture. She had hooded brown eyes, set in a pale face. Her dark brown hair was a shade close to black, and it was pulled back in a neatly done braid. Another girl who could be his future love, another girl that Katelin might try to injure in some way.

Katelin had been on Luke's mind all day, mainly because he kept worrying what she might do to each of the girls if he got closer to them. Truth be told, even when they had first met, Luke had thought she was a little messed up in the head, but he never mentioned it to her.

He should have been thinking about Jillian, since he wanted to remember everyone's name for when he first met them, but Katelin was distracting.

"The second girl from Midston! Atlantis Washington, a three," Natalie read and Luke stared at the screen, waiting for the picture to show up, seeing Jadie's signal out of the corner of his eye.

When it did show up, Luke could tell that she would work well with Fitz. She looked like a three, with prominent cheekbones and an face that looked like it had come out of some old movie, with the grace of a Hollywood movie star. Luke liked watching old movies, so he knew what that was. Her eyes were defined, and a bright sea-green. He could see Fitz looking a bit more energetic at the sight of her, which was a good thing.

"Luke. Can I talk to you for a second?" Sam whispered, appearing to his right and startling him. This had to be important, if Sam was risking Jadie's wrath.

Scrunching up his face and giving Sam a "Make it quick, you idiot," look, he nodded, but made sure to still watch the next girls being called.

"It's about Mom," He said, and Luke was surprised. Sam, showing concern for another human being other? It was an all-out miracle. Luke quickly poked his head over so he could see her on the screen, then withdrew himself so he could see what Sam wanted.

"What about her?" Luke whispered back, careful that Jadie was still ordering people around and hadn't seen them. Sam rolled his eyes, and gestured at the screen.

"She looks sick or something," He whispered, more of an edge to his voice now. Before he could reply, Jadie descended upon them and Sam scattered, Jadie following him over to the other side of the room and scolding him. Luke had to keep from laughing, then watched Celeste draw the next girl.

"The first girl from Paloma. Stella Writer, a three," Celeste was starting to get bored, and it was obvious from her flat tone of voice.

Stella was a black haired girl with sapphire blue eyes, and Luke found it hard to watch her picture with Sam being chastised by Jadie. She had began to gesture with her clipboard, and Sam was staring at it with his hands slightly raised, defending himself from if it went forward and whacked him square on the nose. Somehow, Jadie managed to signal the technicians while she did it, and he wondered if waving her clipboard around was her signal. She did it often enough for it to be true.

Going back to his province game, he tried to remember where Paloma was. It could have been in the south, the larger province that was where the country called Mexico used to be, or it could have been near Waverly. No, south sounded right. If so, it was one of the larger provinces, and many of the people in it would be of a different ethnicity than Stella. Would they be mad about her getting in, or would they not care? It also, judging from the recent province finance reports, was one of the poorer provinces. He actually listened to them, no matter what Fitz might have thought, and found it interesting.

The next province on the list happened to be Panama, the other p country, and it had merely changed from a country to a province when Illea was formed. It was home to the famous Panama canal, though the canal had to have some work done on it a few years ago.

"The first girl from Panama. Dakota Winters, a three," Celeste read it in a monotone voice, like she couldn't believe how boring this was, or had turned into a robot. She reminded him a bit of one of the cats that would sometimes find its wall into the garden, acting completely bored with the world after acting like they owned it. The felines would just show up in the garden and hiss at the guards, then would leap up onto a bench and roll around it before sitting on top of it like a throne. The guards had names for them, and he would have to tell them to name one Celeste when he escaped from the room.

Dakota had icy blue eyes, which was odd considering the rest of her appearance. Her skin was a pale tannish-brown, the color you get when you dump milk into your hot cocoa to make it drinkable without burning your tongue. Her hair was similar to Jadie's, but was even more curly, tendrils swirling down to a few inches below her shoulders. When he looked closer, he could see that the corner of her right eye had brown in it.

Thinking about Dakota, and how her name was the same as one of the provinces, he realized that Dakota was right next to Sota, and Sota was coming up on the list. Sota was Katelin's province.

His mind went back to the subject of Katelin, and started down the path of worrying about how she might act. She wouldn't just waltz in and pull him off to somewhere for the remainder of the selection, she was too smart for that. She'd probably wait a few weeks, then would attach herself to him, all while she threatened and/or fatally injured the other girls.

Celeste walked over to the Sota container, and didn't hesitate to reach in and pull out a slip of paper. Jadie would have told her beforehand that Katelin had gotten into the selection, but he didn't know how she would read out the name. He watched as she subtly handed the paper to Natalie, who closed her fist around it, probably going to pretend that it had been the one she would draw out. He saw Celeste slip another piece of paper out as she pretended to have a coughing fit, and she read the name off of that one.

"The first girl from Sota. Katelin Lee, a two," Celeste smiled at everyone around the room, warning the few technicians who were looking as if they wanted to say something to Jadie that they needed to keep quiet. Jadie, of course, already knew, but no one had told the technicians that.

Katelin's picture showed up on the screen, smiling and looking perfectly normal, like she hadn't jumped off a balcony to get into the selection. Her cinnamon brown hair was straight and combed to perfection, though he knew that she must have worked for hours to keep the curls from coming back. A little known fact was that Katelin had her mother's curly hair, which was weird for someone like Katelin, and it made her look like the main character from that animated Scottish princess movie she had made Luke watch with her in the movie theater over a year ago.

Natalie, unfolding the slip of paper Celeste had handed her, pretended to fish it out of the container, and gave everyone an even larger smile than Celeste had when she read the name.

"The second girl from Sota! Isa Johnson, a two," Natalie said, and they were back to reading names like nothing had ever happened. Celeste even tried to appear disgruntled about being cheated out of getting a two to read, then realized that Katelin was two and went back to her normal expression.

Isa was a blonde, which was a nice change considering that the past few girls had all had darker hair, though the shade of blonde was leaning towards a light brown. She had freckles and brown eyes, and her cheeks had a slight rosy tint to them. Her name sounded familiar, and it wasn't until he looked closer at her picture that he realized she danced for the IBT, the Illean Ballet Theatre. He had remembered her because, though it was hard to tell when she danced, Isa had a prosthetic leg.

Celeste was reading off the name of a girl from St. George when he remembered to be paying attention so Jadie wouldn't swoop down and chastise him.

He only heard the "Poppy O'Hare, a six," when he snapped to attention, wincing when he realized that Jadie had seen him and was giving him a pointed look. Oops. He looked back at Poppy's picture, noticing that the girl had red hair, and gave Jadie a worried half-smile. She nodded, then turned back to the technicians, waving her clipboard around.

Sumner's container was closer to his side of the room, and Natalie gave him a tiny wave as she walked past. He raised his hand in acknowledgement, but focused more on watching Celeste draw the name of Ianthe Delacroix, a three. Her name was certainly a mouthful, though it had a nice ring to it. Because he felt obliged to look at the features of each girl, he noted that she had brown hair. Mission accomplished, he could see colors.

Natalie picked out Kinsey Crawford, another ginger, though Kinsey's hair was lighter than Poppy's was. Much like Poppy, she was a six. Kinsey had a large smile on in the picture, and looked happy to be where she was.

Tammins required Celeste and Natalie to cross the room once again, and Luke guessed that it was because the people who had set up the containers had run out of space. He had to squint to see Celeste pick the first name out of the container, and hoped that it was because of the long day. If he was going blind, he might have to have a chat with whatever higher power was watching over them.

The girl from Tammins, another six by the name of Scarlet Bronzine, was beaming so much in her picture, it looked like the sun had condensed into a girl. Her blonde hair wasn't helping play down that image, but it might have just been because of her desperation to get into the selection. If not, it might be hard to have someone around who was always kind and happy. A person like that couldn't exist.

Celeste nearly had to jog to get to Waverly's container, it being as far away from the last one as possible in the room.

"The first girl from Waverly. Alexis Kingsley, a four," Celeste scowled at Jadie, who in turn pointed her clipboard at Celeste in a menacing way. The amount of fours selected had been slim, and Luke was relived to see that the caste would be more represented. Alexis was another blue eyed blonde, but looked like an acceptable human being.

Natalie, to Celeste's annoyance, chose another two. Luke didn't recognize the name or face of Kayleigh Hayes, a girl with light brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was probably famous for something, and Luke knew that Jadie's notes would include whatever he needed to know.

Jadie would probably include as much information as possible as each girl, and he wouldn't be surprised if she found old yearbook photos or birth certificates for them. At times like that, when Jadie got intense, it was a little easier to see the similarities between mother and daughter. However, with Jadie, it was easier to be in the same room as her, since she didn't make death threats when she got mad, or attack people with iron frying pans.

Whites produced another four, Flavia Beaufort. She had silky blonde hair, and hazel eyes, which was a combination that had been scarce that day. Remembering that he should have been seeing what his brothers thought of the girls, he looked over at Fitz, who looked like he had been frozen or turned to stone. Luke wasn't sure if he was breathing or not, but he wasn't about to go over there and wave a hand in front of his face. Sam was already taking care of that.

Whites also produced the second seven of the selection, Larkin Thatcher. Larkin had platinum blonde hair, and looked like she belonged in Whites. From what he knew of the province, it was supposed to be cold, and Larkin had pale skin with blue eyes. He thought that people from Swendaway often looked like that, and it was a northern country, but he had no idea whether that was related.

Yukon, whose container was still across the room and was making Celeste look like she was about to burst, gave them Alette Salem, which was a nice change after having so many blondes. Alette had dark, curly hair and olive toned skin, and looked like she was Indian in heritage.

The other girl from Yukon, Averian Dunbar, a five, whose eyes were a grayish-bluish green color that made his head hurt.

The last girl, and at this point he wanted to collapse into a heap and stay on the floor forever without hearing another girl's name again, was from Zuni, and was named Lisbeth Stewart. She was another six, an appropriate end to a selecting that had been full of the caste, and had beautiful black hair.

The second Lisbeth's picture was up on the screen, he was running out of the room, past the guards near the closest door, and dashing outside. He stopped a few feet outside the door, taking a deep breath, and realized that it was raining and his suit was now soaked.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hello. I'm keeping this brief, because my computer hates me, keeps disconnecting me from the internet, which requires me to restart my computer, which loses the writing that I hadn't saved yet, and makes me have to rewrite the last few paragraphs. By the time I've noticed the Wi-Fi is gone, it's too late. Therefore, I officially took forever releasing this chapter. Yep, my brain is dead!**

 **For everyone who submitted a character, I need you to PM me with the responses to some questions I have up on my profile. I want to get your character's correct, and want to have some practice writing them the way you want them to be written before I try to do it on my own. Send me the responses In a PM because I don't want to clog up the review section with things not pertaining to whether my story is horrible or not. Those who can't do that, at least say what you liked/disliked about the last few chapters when you answer the questions, and that's only for guests. I'm looking at a few people in particular when I say this, so send me a PM!**

 **I make no promises, but be on the lookout for more chapters this weekend. I'm going to do a chapter where the boys look at the girl's information that Jadie gives them, but it shouldn't take very long to write.**


	14. In Preparation

**Author's Note 1- I've updated the questions on my profile, sorry for the inconvenience! This won't change any of the order of the shifts, but it correct a mistake that I noticed in almost every meeting the prince questions set submitted. It's my fault, for not being clearer, but please get this done immediately!**

* * *

 **Prince Fitz's POV**

He couldn't remember the last time Luke hadn't sought refuge in the garden after running away. It was as if his brother had some sort of magnetism towards the flowers and the trees, even when it was raining. He expected to see a very wet Luke appear back inside in around ten minutes, but by the way Jadie was storming off, Luke might have wanted to get back here quickly.

Fitz was thankful the selecting process was over, but this raised new worries, particularly what he would do once the girls finally arrived. He had a week to prepare conversation topics, figure out how he would appear to the girls, and figure out which girls would work with him best. Jadie had promised them binders with the girls' applications and other information, and he hoped that she could get them to him soon.

Jadie was currently in the process of marching a soaking Luke back into the room, and he was leaving wet footprints behind them, much to Jadie's irritation. Luke looked fairly done with being a human being, and Sam was laughing at him from the other side of the room. Jadie fixed that by raising her clipboard in Sam's direction, and he soon fell silent.

"Fitz, would you mind joining us?" Jadie called to him from where Sam and Luke were, and he walked over to them, avoiding the puddles that Luke had dripped onto the floor. Luke just sighed in greeting, and Sam grinned at him, which meant he was up to his usual tricks.

Jadie, turning to an assistant who was hovering behind her, grabbed a stack of binders in three distinct colors and passed them out to the boys. Sam staggered under the weight of his five green binders, while Luke stared at his five red binders with a look of confusion. Fitz was pleased that Jadie has finished them early, but five seemed a little excessive, even for Jadie Flores's standards. His binders were colored a pleasant blue, his favorite color.

Fitz walked out of the room, trying to steady the binders, and made his way up to his room, nodding at passing guards and trying to look as normal as possible while he carried the binders. He heard footsteps behind him, and Luke came up next to him, mostly dry and still carrying all of his binders in his arms.

"How on earth were you able to run and carry those?" Fitz asked, looking at his brother with an incredulous expression on his face. Luke shrugged, and continued to walk with Fitz.

When the two reached their rooms, Luke darted inside his without so much as a look back on Fitz, leaving him shaking his head and continuing towards his own entered it and shut the door behind him before letting out a profound sigh of relief.

Fitz set the binders down on his desk, amid the neat stacks of files and other political things he had been working on before the lottery, gently taking a book off the desk and setting it back on the bookshelf so he could ring a butler up to bring him a mug of tea. Pulling out the chair, he checked the time, and made the decision to order his dinner now as well. Jadie had told them that dinner would be in their rooms, but had given them options for when to eat it, and it would be best to order something and eat it before he really got into selection business.

He typed in something to the room service system in the wall, then sat down on the chair he had stationed at his desk. Each binder was about the same size, with 14 girls in each, alphabetized by province, with seven provinces per binder. He knew exactly who he wanted to look at first.

Fitz flipped to Sterling's section in the binder, riffling through the neatly labeled dividers until he found the one marked "Sterling Everett". He pushed the other dividers back so he could see it with a quiet thud, and was greeted with a picture of her smiling up at him. Sterling's wavy blonde hair was up in a messy bun, lacking America's fiery red hair, but he could still see similarities when he looked closely at it. Turning the page, he was greeted by a copy of her application, her handwriting scrawled across the page. He quickly turned it over to see what lay behind it, as the next divider wasn't for a few more papers, and found a more official looking summary of the girl. Her occupation caught his eye. She was a violinist, taking after one of the talents her aunt had. Fitz remembered his mother telling him about her birthday party at the palace, during the selection, and how America had brought a violin and played a song for her. She described it as being beautiful. If Sterling had any of her aunt's talent, then hearing her play would be a treat.

Thinking about musical talent, Fitz checked the selection event schedule that Jadie had given to him. It was merely a list of when some major events were set to take place, and much of it was describing when eliminations needed to take place by, though there was one thing he had seen earlier that could be potentially useful.

 _In August, the girls will be given their first way to appeal to the nation and show how they stand out, in the form of a memorial opening performance at the America Singer Center for the Arts. It is modeled after the Kennedy Center, from when the US was still in existence, which was in the capital at the time. The America Singer Center not only honors it's namesake, but honors the large number of fives who live in Illea. Each girl will have to take part in the show, whether performing or working backstage and doing a minor onstage piece, and will rehearse during a two week period where eliminations will not be put in effect due to the structured nature of this event._

Fitz, interested in the concept and curious in how Jadie intended to get the girls to work together, looked for more information on the event, but none , he turned back to Sterling's section, and read over it once again. Three siblings, two who were younger than Sterling, the oldest being a visual artist.

Looking back on the schedule, he spotted a highlighted section that was apparently very important made him blink in confusion.

 _In September, for two weeks, the selected will accompany the royal family on the trip to the soon to be 36th province, The Islands. After Illea was formed, the state known as Hawaii was appropriated by Japan, but stayed in a state similar to what it had been during the USA, except all the tourists were Japanese. The war with New Asia put the islands in a confusing position, but King Maxon recently made a deal to put the Islands under Illea's control. One condition that the Islands gave to become the 36th province was that they would not be put in Castes, and King Maxon obliged, though anyone who moves their who has a caste cannot get rid of it. This will be a trip to promote peace between the new province and it's new monarchs, and will also be an opportunity for the selected to have a once in a lifetime experience. Plane tickets have been bought for a larger number of girls than necessary, and Jadie will be brought along to make sure that everyone stays on schedule and abides by Illean laws._

So they were going on a trip to the Islands! Jadie had said something about it beforehand, but he hadn't taken her seriously, and it was a fact that wasn't known to many of the staff in general. The no castes issue was going to be hard to tackle, but he supposed that, besides tourism, Islands would stay mostly independent from Illea. When he had a son, 36 girls would come to the palace for their selection, which was something unprecedented.

They would need an entire airplane to take about 50 girls with them, since it wouldn't be time for the Elite, and they wouldn't have eliminated more then twenty girls at that point.

It would be absolute chaos, having that many people on a plane for that long, and knowing the safety protocols for the palace, they would have to fly across the country to even take off for the Islands. The way he expected it to go, it would be at least 10 hours, probably more because they had to fly to the secure airport in Waverly. It certainly made family trips annoying, having to visit another part of the country before going anywhere, but rebels were still an issue, especially around airports.

Fitz had never been to the Islands, but then again, who had? It took long enough to get through all the paperwork for going out of Angeles. Looking back at the binder, he found himself looking at one of the girls from Atlin, Albany Harding. She was one of the few fours who had made it into the selection, and her background page said that she was still attending a local high school. It wasn't uncommon for fours to finish high school, and he suspected that Atlin had a better public school system than Angeles, if the number of students in the schools were anything to go by.

Checking the clock, he realized that he had never sent his dinner order through, and immediately got up to go get himself some food.

* * *

 **Author's Note 2: Yes, shorter chapter, but I have a good reason. I want to have the second shift filled before I even start writing the prince meeting chapters, so fill out the questions! This was also a way to let you know what you should be prepared for, since these events will have chapters in mid to late March.**


	15. Meeting the Princes, Part One

**I'm sorry about how long it's taken to get this written, and for once I can promise that it won't happen again! Things have popped up in my life that needed to be taken care of, but it's done, and I can get back to writing. In advance, I'm going to warn everyone that the girls near the end won't get as much screen time, but I'll make sure they get more in the Sam's and Luke's POVs of meeting the girls. All three chapters will take place at the same time in the RRGS timeline.**

* * *

 **Prince Fitz's POV**

When he walked through the doors, the room fell silent. Luke and Sam were behind him, following closely, and Fitz expected that they would enter this way for each of the five shifts. The Grand Room of Space, as he called it after it had been emptied of furniture when he was a child, was no longer just air.

The vaulted ceilings were adorn with ribbons of lights, no chandeliers in sight, all turned on dimly to make the ceiling twinkle. The wide windows were covered with purple curtains that fell to the ground and let the sunshine from outside stream in between them. The marble floors had been freshly polished and waxed, and a set of couches had been set up on the sides of the room for the princes to greet them girls on.

It was a marvelous display of grandeur and what the selection would be like, but his main problem would be to find which girl to talk to first. Spotting someone not far off from him, he turned to make sure his brothers had been set loose, and walked over to her.

If he remembered correctly, this girl was Cameron Belle Vienna, a five and a photographer from Clermont. He vaguely remembered reading about her, and she seemed like a good enough person to start with. She was alone, not socializing with any of the other girls, but she didn't appear to want the company of any of the others. Fitz approached her, after all the girls had stopped staring at the three of them, and watched her dark blue eyes focus on him.

"Your Highness," She said, bending into a half-curtsey before he could say anything. She was wearing a long black dress, the sleeves covering her shoulders, the bodice covered with black lace detailing, and the jet-black skirt swept out around her in a curtain of material. Her hair, a similar color to the dress, tumbled down her back in a cascade of curls. The effect, combined with the dark lipstick, made her look regal and statuesque.

"Lady Cameron? I take it you know my name already. Please, follow me, have a seat," He gestured over at one of the couches that lined the room, and sat in one opposing her, making sure she was comfortably sitting before he began talking.

"I'd like to welcome you to the selection, Lady Cameron, and let you know that all three of us are glad to have you here. As Jadie said, this will be quick, but it let's each of us get a feel for the girls. Formal, yes, but necessary," Fitz smiled, explaining the couches as Jadie had told him to do, though he would attempt a different approach with the next girl. He wondered if he was too stiff, or too uptight, but it didn't make very much sense to worry about that when he had so little time with everyone.

Cameron, after a short pause, nodded, and Fitz winced. He had been a little too formal, and by the look in her dark blue eyes, he could tell this wasn't going quite as well as he planned. A change of topic would be in his best interest.

"I understand you're a photographer. I dabble in the subject myself, would you mind telling me what you most like to capture?" It was true that he had inherited his father's love of photography, but he'd had little time in the past few years to do anything with it, and this could be something they shared in common.

"I like to capture emotion, actually," Cameron gave him a small smile. Fitz remembered seeing some of her work in the binder, and he knew that she was good at what she did. Maybe, if they were lucky, Cameron could do something for the Singer Center Performance involving this, because it would most certainly be a worthy addition.

"I've seen some of your work, and it's quite good. I'm afraid that I have other girls to talk to, but we can converse another time," He smiled, standing up, and hoped he wasn't being odd, or that the conversation was too abrupt.

Cameron nodded once again, smiled, and returned to where she had been before he had brought her to the couches. Scanning the room for the next girl, Fitz's eyes fell upon a girl who was standing in the corner. Chiara Garcia, the poet from Angeles.

Her hair was up in a braided bun, little wisps falling out of it, pointed at the ceiling when she looked down at the floor. Chiara's dress was one-shouldered, a thick strap with ruffles on it clinging to her in the appearance of flowers. Fitz watched as Chiara touched the lilac ribbon in her hair, the same shade as her dress, then realized that he should stop staring and actually walk over to her.

She looked up at once, seeming to shrink into the corner, and Fitz relaxed. Chiara was one of the sweet ones, one of the quiet ones who wouldn't cause any trouble or do anything outlandish. She was a poet, and he had read the poetry she wrote, and her words flowed like water in a crystal-clear stream. Chiara was also quite intelligent, and he had put a star next to her application to remind him to talk with her about something of a more sophisticated persuasion than he could converse with the other girls on.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Chiara. Do you mind if we take our conversation to the couches?" Fitz lead Chiara over to the couches. They sat in silence for a second, with his mind frantically working for something to say.

He looked up at the ceiling. The lights were twinkling merrily, mocking him for not being able to talk to her. When he had gone over the applications, and his research on the girls, he had developed a fascination with her poetry that made it hard to believe the girl next to him had written it.

"How are you liking the palace so far?" Fitz asked her with a small cough, tugging at the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"It's wonderful," She answered quietly, looking around the room at the other girls and at the decor of the palace.

"It is nice, isn't it? You might like the gardens in the back, I think I remember a few of your poems on the subject. You live in Angeles, so I'm guessing you enjoy the climate. How far from the palace?" He smiled, holding onto the words like a lifeline in the conversation, and turning to her as he asked the question.

"It is nice. I didn't realise that you liked my poems," Chiara replied, her eyes going down to a bracelet she wore on her wrist, twisting it back and forth as she talked. Amethysts and Emeralds, he thought, but Luke had always been better with anything in nature than he was.

"Yes, you're a good writer," Fitz watched her relax a little. He checked his watch again, but decided to stay for a few more seconds, and not end it as abruptly as he had with Cameron.

"I especially enjoyed how your last poem centered on personification of natural objects. I'm not all that great at writing poetry myself, but I can appreciate it, and your work is superb," Chiara gave him a smile, but also seemed to realize that he had other girls to talk to.

"Thank you, and thanks for talking to me. See you soon?" She asked, and Fitz nodded. He'd clear some space for her in the next few weeks, though he didn't know when. This time, he went for a group of girls, closer to the middle of the room.

"Prince Fitz! I'm Illonie Everill," Illonie, one of the girls from Bankston, came up to him, leaving the little group and bringing one of the other girls with her. Aurelia Coralie, one of the two sevens in the selection, was close behind Illonie.

"Illonie, Aurelia," He nodded at them, and smiled, mentally deciding to talk to Illonie first. She was smiling, different from Chiara or Cameron, and her energy was exciting. The closest person to this was Jadie, and that was almost depressing.

"Illonie, would you mind coming with me? Aurelia, I'll be back for you soon," Aurelia wandered off to find someone else to talk to, and Illonie came with him over to the couches. She had a long, floral printed dress with a halter top and some heels. A star pendant hang from her neck and her braids bounced against her back when she walked. Her wide, dark blue eyes followed him as they walked, and she was still smiling.

"How was the flight, Lady Illonie?" He smiled as he asked her, sitting down on the plush couch next to her and watching the other girls out of the corner of his eye.

"Great! It was cool seeing everything from the window, and the palace is even better than I imagined. Summer here in Angeles is different than home, but it's nice to have a change. Jadie's the coordinator, correct? She's a bit strict," Illonie said all of this in a way that wasn't so fast that it was overwhelming, and it was friendly and put Fitz as ease. He needed more people like this in his life.

"I'm glad you liked it. Jadie is strict, though I've known her for most of my life, and I can say she's an acquired taste," He replied. Illonie laughed, and his smile grew even bigger.

"What's life like around here? Is Jadie the worst evil you have to face?" Illonie said, looking at the bright flash of lime green that was moving around the room. Fitz laughed and shook his head.

"No, that would be Sam. He's quite a bother, really," He said, surveying the crowd for him and seeing him with a red-haired girl on the other side of the room.

"What's the worst thing he's done?" Illonie inquired as she looked over at him. It was a good thing that Illonie was curious, and it made talking to her much easier.

"The great whipped cream incident. The maids were working for weeks to clean the walls off," He said, thinking back to it, and wincing. They were lucky he didn't end up destroying anything important.

"That sounds like it would be annoying. Well, it was good talking to you, Prince Fitz!" Illonie started standing up, and Fitz realized she was right. The conversation had taken up their time, and it had been enjoyable. Illonie was going on his list of people to talk to.

"It was good talking to you too, Illonie," Fitz walked her back to the center of the room to find Aurelia waiting with the redhead Sam had been talking to earlier.

"Hi, Prince Fitz! Ready?" Aurelia seemed to brighten, and Fitz had to blink a few times when she walked right over to a couch. Even more energetic than Illonie, apparently.

Aurelia wore an emerald green floor length dress, with short sleeves, the pink sparkles on them shimmering in the light. Her hair was down, slightly curled, but nothing too fancy. He could tell that Sam would enjoy talking to her.

"So, Lady Aurelia, enjoying the selection so far?" Fitz asked, studying her to see what she was hiding. A person usually wasn't that optimistic without hiding something, from what he knew, but he wouldn't press the issue just yet.

"Yes! The palace is huge, and the plane ride was great. Everyone seems nice, and I can't wait to meet the other princes!" She was smiling even more now, and craning her neck to find the other princes while she talked. Luke and Sam were both foregoing use of the couches, a technique that Fitz decided to attempt after the first batch of girls had all been greeted.

"Has everyone treated you well? I was a little worried about the sevens being discriminated against," Fitz commented, watching Aurelia's teal eyes follow Sam around the room as he spoke. Aurelia blinked and nodded.

"Everyone's been great so far, " She replied, absentmindedly fiddling with a lock of her strawberry blonde hair.

"I'm glad to hear that, Aurelia. I know that some girls can be slightly patronizing, and I wouldn't want anything happening to you. Have you met Jadie Flores yet? I'm sure she could help if you need anything," Fitz continued, and suddenly stopped, realizing that he shouldn't have called attention to her caste.

Aurelia, thank goodness, seemed to not notice, and started to talk about her opinion on the strict and fashionably challenged organizer. Aurelia thought that Jadie was boring, and that she hadn't let the girls do anything fun while they waited. Fitz was quite used to that, but it was interesting to see Aurelia's take on it.

"Thanks for talking with me, Lady Aurelia. May I walk you back to the others girls?" Fitz stood up, trying to find a lull in her talking, and offered her his arm. She gladly took it, and the pair walked back to where she had been before.

Aurelia curtsied and returned to chat with Illonie, who waved and grinned at Fitz. After searching the room once more for a girl who hadn't been approached by any of the princes, his eyes landed on another blonde who was in the corner, having a quick conversation with another girl before moving away to stand by herself.

It took Fitz a second to remember the girl's name, and he mentally chastised himself for not getting it.

Maisynn Ingenium. Fair skinned, with freckles dotting her face, blonde hair slightly curled and falling down her back, and blue green eyes. However, the prosthetic hand was the most identifying feature of Maisynn, the one he should have recognized right away.

He was getting sloppy with recognizing the girls, and should have done a better job of tackling the names of the girls in the first shift first. Some girls were especially easy to know at first sight, whether they had prominent features or multi-colored hair, and the variety of dresses in the room was stunning. Maisynn herself wore a pearl-beaded top, the skirt of it long and teal, her plain white wedges barely visible underneath.

Quickly crossing the room so he wouldn't be intercepted, Fitz approached a faintly nervous looking Maisynn.

"Your highness," Maisynn started out the same way as Cameron, but the two girls were very different, from what he could already tell.

"Hello, Lady Maisynn. Has everything gone well so far?" At this point, it was getting harder and harder to come up with conversation topics. It would be best to approach a group next, maybe the group that was gathering at a nearby window and peeking out at the view of the city in the distance.

"Yes, your highness," Maisynn gave him a nervous smile and wiped her hands on her dress, but Fitz barely noticed after feeling a tap on his shoulder and turning around to see Jadie, in all of her neon glory.

"Sorry to interrupt, Prince Fitz, but you might want to hurry up. You've got 15 minutes left in this shift," said Jadie, briskly moving away with her clipboard in hand once she'd said her piece.

15 minutes? Time couldn't have gone by that quickly, and he'd only met five girls! It was a good thing that most of the girls left had clumped together in large groups, though it meant he'd have to face several of them at once.

"I'm sorry, Maisynn, that this has to be quick," He said, then immediately spotted Luke. This could work.

"Luke! Come meet Maisynn," He waved him over, and assuming his brother had been smart enough to memorize names, left the two to interact retreated from the two, and went in search of the group he had seen near the window earlier. Flavia Beaufort, Abrielle Crossdale, and Cosette Wagner.

Flavia Beaufort was the owner of a fashion boutique in Whites, and of course, was another blonde. Her dress was snow white, a possible allusion to her home province, and was covered in delicate lace. It had a halter top, and was elegant, just like she was. For a four, Flavia was at the height of well-cared for and reminded Fitz of the way Elise Whisks was a four and was still like this. The parallels so far between the girls of this selection and of the last hadn't been showing up yet, and it was interesting to compare.

Abrielle Crossdale was also a fashion designer, coming from Bonita, and was a well-known fixture in the fashion industry. Her designs were popular due to the fact they had been made for less conventional body types, above or below average. Abrielle had auburn hair, which was currently in a low bun, and it was held in place by hair clips. He knew that her dress would be one of her own designs.

Cosette Wagner, the only girl with no relation to fashion in the group, looked just as sweet and innocent as her picture had showed. Her dress was blue and pink, the blue matching the bow she wore in her half-up half-down hairstyle. Her brown hair had been curled. Noticing with some amusement her treble clef necklace, which made since with her status as a five, he decided that he liked her already.

"Hello, Prince Fitz. How's your day been so far?" Cosette stepped up and smiled, Flavia and Abrielle a few steps behind her. She had probably been going around and meeting everyone, the only way he could think of that she wouldn't be with Illonie or talking with Chiara in the corner.

"It's been good, thank you for asking. Abrielle, Flavia, would you mind coming to join us?" He waved the two over, and the three girls were now standing in a wobbly sort of curved line in front of him.

"It's good to finally meet you, Prince Fitz," Flavia spoke next, and Fitz reviewed the information from her application. French heritage, from Whites, and everything else he had thought of earlier.

"It's nice to meet you too, Lady Flavia. Lady Abrielle, how are you finding the palace so far?" He addressed her, since she hadn't spoken yet, and it worked better to have everyone included. Jadie would be less vexing if he was quick with meeting the girls, and this was rather time-saving.

"Perfect, your highness. Flavia and I were just talking about how the selection brings everyone together. We're both fashion designers, but our lives are different, so it's been interesting to compare," Abrielle looked to Flavia as she talked, and the other girl nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it," His voice trailed off as he noticed Jadie stalking around the room, clumping the girls he hadn't met into one large group. Atlantis, Albany, Jessica, Lisbeth, Kinsey, and Mae were all being shooed by Jadie into a corner of the room, and he knew that Jadie would be over to drag him there in no time.

"Prince Fitz! You have five minutes! Here, now!" Jadie yelled across to him, which he supposed was better than being physically dragged. Fitz made an apologetic face at the girls.

"I understand that Jadie has a group activity planned tomorrow night , perhaps we can talk more then?" It felt horrible, having to move so quickly after spending so long with the first few girls, and he was going to have to make a list.

After striding the length of the room, Fitz reached the other group that Jadie had gathered.

"In advance, I'll warn you of how quick this will be, but do be aware I can talk to you at a later time," He addressed the whole group, the feeling in his stomach growing once again. Lisbeth nodded, though she didn't look excited to talk to him later on, which gave him for time to talk to the others.

Atlantis and Albany would be his main concerns at the moment, but looking around, he knew that it would have to happen at a later time.

"Lady Atlantis, Lady Albany, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?" The two girls followed him a few paces away from the others.

"Since five minutes is not enough time to get acquainted with either of you, can I have the pleasure of talking to you at the activity Jadie has planned for later?" Thankfully, Albany and Atlantis both nodded. At least if he told them he would talk to them, he would be required to do it later on.

* * *

 **Everyone who hasn't gotten your girl's questions in, do this immediately! At least let me know if you want me to take from the form. The girls who were given very little time at the end will get more in the next two chapters, and will eventually talk more to Fitz at a garden party thing I have planned.**


	16. Meeting the Princes, Part Two

**Prince Samuel's POV**

Sam walked through the doors, Luke besides him and Fitz a few feet ahead. He had been hoping that Jadie would let him run through the doors with a burst of confetti, possibly in one of those giant human sized hamster ball things, seeing which of the girls reacted positively to his antics and seeing which cowered in fear. Unfortunately, Jadie was Jadie, and nothing that wonderful would ever get approved by her.

As soon as the three were inside, Fitz went off to talk to a girl and looked back at them. Sam made an effort to appear like he was moving towards one of the girls so he wasn't intercepted by his older brother, and decided to throw any inklings of a plan out of his head. Meeting the girls as himself would be much more fun.

The closest girl to him was Kinsey Crawford, a six from Sumner. Sam was mostly sure that she was the flight attendant, but he could have been wrong.

Kinsey wore a sleeveless purple dress with a sparkly tulle skirt and a glittering bodice. Her red hair was plaited in a fishtail braid, and had small white and purple flowers entwined within it. Her large brown eyes were lined with mascara and eyeliner, like many of the other girls, and she wore white ballet flats on her feet. His first impression of her was that she was a friendly human, and by the way she was moving around the room, she liked to travel.

Sam walked over to her, stopping her in her movement around the room, and grinned.

"Lady Kinsey! Hi. Before we start, can I ask you to call me Sam? It's less formal," He smiled at Kinsey, scratching the back of his head with his left hand as he talked. It was something he did when he was nervous, touching his hair in various ways, and no one really knew about it.

Kinsey returned his smile, but seemed slightly nervous.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you, Prince Sam," As she spoke, Sam noticed Kinsey had freckles, but forgot about them when she said "Prince Sam".

"Just Sam, Lady Kinsey. Fitz is really the prince, I'm more of the awkward cousin who just happens to be related to him. Should I still call you Lady Kinsey, or would you prefer Kinsey?" Sam laughed and had to refrain from tugging on his hair. If this continued, he was going to need to wear some sort of arm restraining device, like a straightjacket.

"If I'm calling you Sam, you can call me Kinsey," Kinsey had started looking around the room again, seeing what the other girls were doing.

"So, Kinsey, you're a flight attendant, yes? What did you think of the flight over?" Sam changed the topic quickly, diverting her attention back to him, knowing very well that a new topic was likely to make her stay put. It worked with him.

"It was interesting to be on the other end, especially in a plane that nice. I've flown off job before, but not in anything special," Kinsey nodded at his question and it was good to hear her talk without the nervousness she'd had only seconds before. Kinsey wouldn't always be nervous, she would be more confident in the future, but he needed to get to know her first.

"That's cool. Do you have any ideas on who I should talk to next?" He didn't want Jadie breathing behind him the entire event, but it was a daunting task to chose, as most of the girls probably thought he was insane.

"Maybe Lisbeth, in the green? I haven't talked to her yet, I've mainly spoken with Illonie, but you might get along well with her," Kinsey pointed out a girl with black hair, and Sam nodded.

"Thanks, Kinsey. See you soon?" As he walked away, Kinsey nodded, and he mentally gave a shout of victory. One girl who liked him, or at least didn't run away screaming.

Lisbeth Stewart, the girl Kinsey had pointed out, was a six and a seamstress from Zuni. One of the sixes in the selection, Lisbeth had been one of the girls he hadn't exactly noticed in the lottery or when he looked at the applications. Not that he really did look at them.

Sam supposed she was pretty enough, with black hair and deep green eyes, and a pale green dress that complemented her olive skin. The dress had intricate stitched flowers on the skirt, which she must have done herself. What irked Sam was that she was almost his height, and she wasn't the only girl that was. Being 5'8 might have been acceptable when the rest of your family was short, but since Fitz and Luke were both nearly 6 feet tall, it was hard to accept his height.

"Sam, youngest of the princes and probably the weirdest. It's nice to meet you Lady Lisbeth," Sam smiled at Lisbeth, internally hoping that she wouldn't use any formal title, and waited for her response.

"Same to you. It's good to see you in person, and it's good to know you're not Fitz," Lisbeth gave a small giggle, and looked over at where Fitz was standing, talking to Cameron.

"It's weird to be here. My mom was a maid and I lived here until I was five, but I never saw you around the palace much," Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise, unaware that she had been at the palace before. Of course, he would have known that if he'd read her section in the binder, but that thing had really been too large for any one person to read.

"Oh. Well, I hope you enjoy it the second time, Lisbeth," He hesitated before smiling again and feeling awkward. Lisbeth's face lit up, and Sam wondered what he had said that made her that happy.

"I think I will, Sam," Lisbeth beamed at him, and twisted a lock of her hair as he walked away. He felt the need to take a look back at her, and saw her wave to him. It had been a good decision, then, to just call her Lisbeth, along with going to talk to her.

The closest girl to him now was Albany Harding, a four and a student from Atlin. Her hair was similar to Lisbeth's, though in a French braid that fell down her back. Albany wore a long, pale colored dress, and was sitting in a corner with a notebook and a pencil.

"Excuse me, Albany, but do you mind if I sit?" Albany glanced up at him and nodded, and he leaned over to see what she was working on.

"Math? During the summer?" He asked, furrowing his brow and looking at her. Albany shrugged, and he squinted at the paper to see what it was, suddenly realizing that he could put his arsenal of math jokes to the test with this. He hated the subject, but had found it funny to make a terrible pun whenever the tutor he was with that week asked him a question. It was one of the reasons he'd had so many tutors over the past few years.

"Well, I _Radicand't_ believe that you have to do math during the _Sum-_ mer," Sam laughed at his own pun, getting an eye roll and a slight smile from Albany.

"Excuse me, Prince Sam, but do you mind coming over to help us?" A voice from behind him made him turn around. Aurelia Coralie, the girl from Hansport, was wearing a bright smile and looking back towards Jessica Carter and Atlantis Washington, two girls that Sam was surprised to see with the upbeat Aurelia.

"I'll be right there. Albany, it was nice meeting you," Sam didn't think that Albany would mind his leaving, and this would be a chance to interact with more girls, so he was willingly lead over to Jessica and Atlantis.

"So, Aurelia, what did you need help with?" Said Sam, positive that it had been a way to get him to meet the three. Aurelia shrugged and smiled.

"No princes had talked to any of us, so I thought we needed help with that," replied Aurelia, gesturing for Jessica and Atlantis to come closer.

"Hello, Prince Samuel," Atlantis was all grace and sophistication, smiling slightly and dressed like she had just stepped out of an old black and white film, appearing much too intelligent to be talking to someone like him.

"Lady Atlantis, it's nice to meet you. Same to you, Lady Jessica, " Once again, Sam had to keep himself from scratching his head, as he was feeling very intimidated by the trio. Lady Jessica wore a pale blue ombre gown, the effect at the bottom of it bringing out her eyes.

"Thank you, Prince Sam," replied Jessica. Sam noticed that her hair was up in some sort of braid thing he couldn't identify.

"Ladies, I appreciate the respect, but I don't deserve it. Just Sam is fine," It was really starting to annoy him, though he knew that this was probably Jadie's fault. She'd gotten to all of the girls before they were even at the palace, at the phone calls they made to explain the rules and everything to them, along with being in charge of the person that actually met them before they came to the palace.

Atlantis narrowed her eyes, while Jessica just looked down at her shoes. Aurelia, however, grinned and energetically nodded her head.

"Sure, Sam! It's nice how you're so open to us, and how you're more relaxed than your brothers," Aurelia turned her head to Atlantis and Jessica, expecting them to agree with her.

"Yes, it's very... nice how you've decided to treat us as equals to you," Atlantis's face conveyed that she thought his manner was unbecoming for a prince, and confirmed his suspicions that she would work much better with Fitz than with him.

Aurelia, who was perceptive enough to move away from Atlantis and closer to Sam, tugged gently on his arm.

"Hey, how about we go see Illonie? She's great, you'll like her! Jessica, do you want to come with us?" Aurelia grinned and tilted her head at Jessica, who waved her away.

"No, it's fine. Thanks for talking to us, Sam," Jessica gave him a half smile, and drifted away to look for Atlantis, who was chatting to Luke in another corner of the large room, accompanied by Chiara Garcia.

"Illonie is the one with the braids over there, right?" asked Sam, looking at a girl with black hair and blue eyes who had been walking around the room the entire time, much like Aurelia in her movements, but more focused on talking with Fitz. That, he thought, could be a problem.

"Yep! Illonie! Over here! She was with me when I got to talk to Fitz, actually," Aurelia smiled up at him and didn't realize where she was walking, nearly dragging both of them into a trio that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Sorry, ladies. Cosette, Flavia, and Abrielle, correct?" The three girls turned, with Cosette placating an apologetic Aurelia. Flavia, the four, nodded at him and gently nudged Abrielle, who had been watching Luke talk to Chiara and Maisynn, the girl with the prosthetic hand. Abrielle looked back over at Sam and gave a small sigh. Aurelia, who had stopped apologizing to Cosette for nearly running her over, spotted Illonie and started to make her way towards her.

"Sam, I'm going to go talk to Illonie, okay? I'll see you later!" said Aurelia as she walked away, her green dress swishing behind her and her hair bouncing on her back as she moved. Sam waved back at her and made sure she was fully talking to Illonie before a grin lit up his face.

"Aurelia's sweet, isn't she? I'm glad I got to talk with her earlier, she's very friendly," Cosette tapped on his shoulder and watched Aurelia with him for a second before smiling up at him. Abrielle, who had gone back to watching Luke, was nudged again by Flavia.

"Sorry. I talked with him little while ago, and it went really well," explained Abrielle, with Cosette giggling at the clueless expression on his face.

"That's good. I can see you two getting along well together. Fitz already talked to you as well?" he inquired, having lost track of his oldest, more responsible brother once again.

"No, not yet, but he's talking with Maisynn, and she's close enough to us that I have confidence that he will," replied Flavia, pointing him out near the side of the room with Maisynn, who was also watching Luke. Watching the two, Sam saw Fitz bring Luke over to meet Maisynn, then watched him start heading over towards them.

"Pardon me, Cosette, I should leave before Fitz gets here," After a quick goodbye to the three girls, Sam found himself moving at lightning speed towards the other side of the room. He glanced back to check that Fitz hadn't seen his escape, and immediately knocked over Mae Fleur.

She tumbled to the ground, her deep royal blue dress pooling out around her, the flower enhanced braid she had falling over her shoulder. She landed hard, thankfully upright, but in an uncomfortable sitting position that looked awkward. Her face slowly turned a bright red, her green eyes widening, and she tried to pull herself back to a standing position.

Sam held out his hand to help her up, which she took with an even redder face, and accidently tugged her into him. Mae quickly stepped back, almost tripping again, and her face was now the color of a ripe tomato.

"Mae, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you!" He gasped, suddenly realizing that his face mirrored Mae's in color, and instinctively cringed. The loud, proud, and certainly troublesome youngest prince of Illea was blushing like a ten year old schoolgirl. Great, this was just what he needed to do in front of someone he'd just met.

"No, no, it's my fault, I shouldn't of been standing there!" Mae replied quickly, looking down at her delicate heeled shoes.

"Well, unless the floor suddenly moved me into you, it's my fault. Oh, your leg! Mae, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," He saw that she was favoring her left leg, the one she had gone down on when she hit the floor, and quickly steadied her with one of his arms.

"It's fine! Sam, please," Mae gently pushed him away and fell into the wall, at which Sam remarkably caught her in his arms. Without another word, he helped her walk over to Jadie, who had been rounding up the girls so the shift could end.

"Jadie, Mae's hurt, I'm taking her to the clinic center on the second floor. I'll be back in time for the second shift!" Without a word from a surprised Jadie, he whisked Mae out of the room and into the corridor outside. Spotting a nearby guard, he quickly yelled over to him incoherently, at which the guard ran over and took Mae's other side.

"Prince Samuel, the hospital wing on the second floor is closest, but the elevator isn't for nearly 30 yards. Can you get her up the stairs?" Officer Roy Rivers, one of the few guards who would help Sam in his pranks and was usually counted as a friend to him ran over and helped support Mae, his gray eyes narrowing in concern. While Roy may have helped him with things, he was still more responsible than Sam himself, and was one of the more helpful people in the palace.

"Yeah. Here, give her to me. By the way, your hair's weird again," Sam grinned at his friend before scooping Mae up in his arms and staggering before entering the stairwell that lay a few feet away from them. Roy grinned back and smoothed down the back of his hair before returning to his post.

"Geez, Mae, I'm out of shape! I'll try not to drop you, Milady," Sam smiled at Mae, hoping to reassure her, because he'd seen Luke with a sprained leg before and this looked eerily similar.

Mae, still tomato colored, nodded and closed her eyes, making Sam wonder how hard he'd run into her. Thinking back, he could remember her leg going down at a weird angle and whacking into a chair, but that shouldn't have caused this much damage, right?

They reached the hospital wing, Sam out of breath, and he passed Mae over to a doctor who immediately started yelling at the nurses in some medical terms Sam didn't understand. Mae turned and looked back at him, at which he gave a little mock bow and a wide smirk.

"Maybe we can confer at tonight's event, and perhaps we can see each other again tomorrow, Milady?" Sam laughed, and Mae smiled back, and his heart fluttered.

If all the girls would end up like this, it was going to be a lot harder to pick than he had thought.


	17. Meeting the Princes, Part Three

**Prince Luke's POV**

To Luke, the sight of the fourteen girls chosen to meet the princes first was absolutely terrifying. Every single one of them already looked like a princess, already looked like they belonged on a throne, already looked like someone who could change his life for the better. Colorful dresses made them look like flowers in a garden, an analogy Luke deeply despised when he remembered the large marble memorial that sat just outside one of the windows of the room. One of these girls could end up breaking his heart, and he knew it.

Fitz, always the one to lead, plunged into the room with the poise of someone who was already king. His navy blue suit, matching to both Luke and Sam, made him cut an imposing figure and seemed to mark him as the smartest person in the area. As Fitz's brown loafers hit the floor, his footsteps echoed his power, drumming out a chant of power.

Sam, however, went into the room completely at ease. Relaxed, easygoing, appearing like he was about to say some really bad joke that he used on a daily basis. His suit was slightly rumpled, more like he had been shoved into it or had just come from carrying out a prank than from the palace's fitting room. The natural swagger Luke's younger brother had was even more intimidating than Fitz's power, like he could make you bend completely to his will at a simple grin.

Luke had felt fairly confident in the moments before they had walked up to the large oak wood doors, but this was too much. Compared to his brothers, he was merely small and plain. None of the girls would notice him, let alone want to fall in love with him.

The great oak doors had opened with a loud creak. He had almost jumped at the sound, lost in his thoughts. His feet had carried him to where he stood now, looking out at the faces of the first set of girls, his heartbeat so loud he was surprised they couldn't hear it.

Sam and Fitz were already moving, and he followed them before realizing that they couldn't all crowd the same girl at once. He started moving towards the closest girl, one who was standing near one of the windows where sunlight came in in large rays. It lit up her auburn hair, pinned up in a low bun with hair clips, and shone on her turquoise dress.

It took Luke a few seconds to go over and talk to her, in which time Fitz started talking to a girl with long black hair and a black dress and Sam began talking to a ginger haired girl in purple. His mind was still blanking on the names or facts about any of them, and it was starting to panic him. This girl, he was pretty sure her name was along the lines of April, Bree, or Danielle, but it could have been Jennifer for all his brain was remembering. He tried to think, searching his mind for the words before a tap on his shoulder made him jump straight up into the air.

"Prince Luke? Lady Atlantis Washington, from Midston," A girl with black hair who was almost as tall as he was stood next to him, the heels she wore making her even closer to his equal in height. He breathed a sigh of relief when she said her name, and reminded himself to go and talk to the auburn haired girl next.

"Hello, Lady Atlantis. I'm sorry I didn't see you," He knew he looked nervous, but he couldn't help it, and Lady Atlantis was a little too refined for him to be comfortable around her. Not many people of the female gender were anywhere close to him in height, so that was also a factor.

"That's perfectly fine. I'm delighted to finally be at the palace, the waiting period seemed to last an eternity. Everyone said so much about the three of you, I had trouble figuring out what was true and what wasn't," Atlantis smiled gently at him, and he felt a little more comfortable in that she was able to tell him what she was doing.

"If you would like to know, ask away. It's visible that Fitz is the smartest of the three of us, you'd enjoy talking to him the most. Sam is the wildest, and would probably end up insulting you in some way. I, however, am simply boring," replied Luke. Without realizing it, his speech had started to mimic the way Atlantis talked, and it would probably continue to worsen when he talked to her for greater lengths. It was like talking to Fitz, he felt the need to seem smarter than he actually was in the conversation.

"Boring? No, maybe just less open to the world. If you'll excuse me, I think Jadie might need to talk to me. Thank you for your time, Prince Luke," Atlantis walked away towards Jadie, who was actually coming towards them, and Luke turned his focus back to the auburn haired girl, whose name he had finally remembered. Abrielle Crossdale, a two, from Bonita, and an influential fashion designer.

The fact that Abrielle was a two made him wonder what she was like, but a quick look over at her removed any thoughts about that. Abrielle looked like a good person, and he took a deep breath so he could finally muster the courage to go talk to her. Unfortunately for Luke, Cosette got there first.

He could see the two girls chatting and didn't want to interrupt them, Abrielle smiling as Cosette said something to her and laughing shortly after. The closest girl to Luke was hovering in a corner, caving in upon herself and staying put without talking to anyone. Chiara Garcia, the sole poet in the selection and one of the two girls from Angeles.

"Um, Hi, Lady Chiara," Luke nervously made his way over towards her, still looking at Abrielle and hoping that Cosette would finally move away from her so he could go over there, as an encounter between a nervous person and a naturally quiet person was not going to go well.

Chiara saw him and started, surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Hello, Prince Luke," Chiara blinked twice, trying to recover from being surprised, and fidgeted with the lilac ribbon she wore up in her long black hair that was currently braided up. Luke noticed she wore a bracelet with an assortment of sparkling jewels, all of which he recognized on sight. When he was younger, he had gone through a phase in which he wanted to be an archeologist, which to a six year old meant dusting off jewels and pretending to dig up dinosaurs in the palace garden rose flower beds. Needless to say, the gardener at the time had despised him.

Before he had time to say anything else to Chiara, he noticed that Cosette had left Abrielle. Obviously, that meant she had spotted him and was coming to occupy his attention. Chiara quickly moved to another corner of the room, abandoning Luke to talk to Cosette.

"Hi, Prince Luke! I'm glad that I found you," Cosette had a sweet smile, which made him relax a little more. He'd seen a few girls practically dragging his brothers around and had been worried that Cosette was one of them, but she wasn't.

"Hello, Lady Cosette. Why are you glad you found me? Not that I don't want to you to be here," Luke almost stuttered, and nearly sighed. Sam and Fitz didn't seem to be having any trouble talking to the girls, and it was almost silly that he was tripping over his words with someone as sweet as Cosette Wagner. Cosette let out a light peal of laughter, and gave him a gentle smile.

"Because you seem to be the nicest," Cosette said as she tried to stop laughing, and it was hard to not join in. Soon, both of them were giggling. He didn't know what it was, but her laughter was infectious, though he was a bit discouraged by being labeled as the "Nicest".

When the two were finally able to stop laughing, with Luke feeling like his stomach was going to burst, he had a sudden thought that made him immediately stand up and frantically search the room. It had been a sunny day, over two months ago, and it had been before the selection was announced and Katelin had forced her way in. He could remember that she had left her hair down in it's natural curls, and that she had been complaining about her mother and mocking her in a high pitched voice. At that point, he had been thinking that the main difference between Jadie and Katelin was the younger's tendency to talk about violence, and had burst out laughing until she joined in, thinking it was about something she said. The truth was, he had always been too scared of her to do anything, which was why she still thought that they would be together forever.

Cosette's voice brought him back to the present, and away from the troubling thoughts about the violent Katelin Flores-Lee. She was saying something about how she had found some high-quality music instruments in her room, and had just asked him a question.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?" Luke winced, hoping he hadn't seen rude, and Cosette just smiled wider.

"I was asking if you played a musical instrument," replied Cosette, her hand going to the treble clef necklace she wore around her neck. He remembered that Cosette was a five, and that she worked as a musician in her home province of Belcourt.

"Well, I actually can play a number of percussion instruments, but Fitz has always been the more musically talented one out of the three of us. He likes to list the drums as his favorite instrument, but I think he's best at string instruments. You should hear him play the cello. I once tried the clarinet, but Sam called it an oversized kazoo and wouldn't stop blabbering about some weird squid character from a cartoon. Besides that, I didn't really do anything musical, unless you count doing ballet until last year," The words flowed easily out of Luke's mouth, and he was lost in the stream. As soon as he said the words ballet his face went warm, and he wanted to reverse time.

"Ballet? I don't think there are any ballerinas in this group, but maybe in the next," Cosette had a twinkle in her blue green colored eyes, and was holding back laughter. Luke shook his head and groaned.

"I'm sorry, that just slipped out. I should really be going now, I'll talk to you some other time," said Luke. He bolted out of the area, crossing the floor in a few swift steps, and heard Fitz call his name, gratefully taking the chance to leave. Honestly, no one needed to know he'd done ballet for 13 years, and he was worried that Cosette would tell someone. He had told Sam he would unleash Katelin on him if he mentioned, but still, he didn't trust his brother.

Luke glanced back at Cosette and felt a sharp pang in his stomach when he saw how hurt he looked, but Fitz was already calling him and he could always apologize to her at a later time. He would never know how Sam managed to be so cruel and heartless, if this was what he felt with only a minor incident.

"Luke! Come meet Maisynn!" Fitz waved him over, and promptly left Luke and Maisynn together as he headed back over to the crowd that had formed around Abrielle. It was only two other girls, but the fact that it included Cosette was a determent. He'd been so stupid to rush away that quickly.

Maisynn herself stood looking at him with her round blue-green eyes, strands of her blonde hair falling around her shoulders and onto the pearl-beaded top of her dress. He could see that she wore diamond stud earrings, giving her an innocent, traditional look that some of the girls lacked. Maisynn had a light splattering of freckles on her face, and wore only basic makeup. He could see her prosthetic hand, though she made no large effort to keep it hidden, and decided that she was very pretty in a girl-next-door sort of way.

He knew that Maisynn was from Carolina, the home province of America Singer, and fell back on his province memory game. Carolina was on the east coast, across Illea, and was in a place that had been firmly in the United States when it still existed.

To Luke, the fact that Maisynn looked this way made him think they matched, if only because of his status as a middle child. The fact that she had a prosthetic hand made him wonder how that happened, and whether she'd been through some traumatic experience that he should avoid mentioning.

"H-Hello, Prince Luke! I'm glad I finally get to meet you, the palace is so wonderful and big, and thank you for having us here," said Maisynn, a nervous giggle espacing her lips at the end of her stream of words.

"It's nice to meet you too, Lady Maisynn, and I'm glad to have you here," Luke smiled at Maisynn, and took a quick glance back at Cosette, who saw him and whispered something to Flavia before turning back to Abrielle and saying something else.

"That's good! I mean, I'm happy to be here," Maisynn glanced down at her shoes, which were plain white wedges, and suddenly stopped talking. Luke felt a little uncomfortable, since he was awful at talking to other nervous people, and did the same. He was wearing dress shoes and would have preferred to be wearing sneakers.

"So, um, Lady Maisynn, er," Luke couldn't think of anything to say, and his voice trailed off after a few stuttered pauses. Maisynn had started inspecting her hand, the non-prosthetic one, when Flavia Beaufort suddenly walked over to them. Luke and Maisynn simultaneously looked up at her after she cleared her throat.

"Cosette says that she doesn't hold anything against you, and Abrielle would like to talk to you. You're Maisynn, correct?" Flavia looked over the two of them, tsking at the way Luke's tie was slightly askance, and tilted her head as she looked at Maisynn. Maisynn nodded before focusing on her shoes, and Flavia smiled at her.

"I'll be over in a minute, Lady Flavia," He replied. Luke felt slightly annoyed by the interruption, since his conversation with Maisynn hadn't really gone anywhere yet, but was excited for a chance to get to talk to Abrielle. He would at least say a few more things to Maisynn before he moved on, though. Flavia nodded at him and drifted off back towards Cosette and Abrielle and said something to them before walking over to Cameron Vienna, the girl in black who Fitz had talked with at the beginning.

"Prince Luke, do you know if we'll get a chance to talk to any of the other girls?" Maisynn suddenly spoke up, looking up at his face.

"Well, yes, I think you will at the garden party thing tomorrow night," replied Luke, trying to remember Jadie's long and overly detailed schedule for the selection. She'd mentioned something to Fitz about, and he could recall hearing that the girls would all get a chance to interact with each other at it, because they wouldn't get to all see each other now because of the size of the selection.

Luke looked at the watch on his wrist and decided that now would be a good time to go and talk with Abrielle, since both Cosette and Flavia had drifted away to speak to other girls across the room, Cosette having a conversation with Atlantis and Flavia listening to Cameron.

"Lady Maisynn, I hope I can see you again soon," He smiled at Maisynn and waited for her to respond before leaving, then quickly intercepted Abrielle before anyone could intercept her again.

"Hello, Lady Abrielle. You wanted to speak to me? I'm sorry I took a few minutes to get over here, I was saying goodbye to Maisynn," he smiled at Abrielle and realized that he had to look down at her. That was the problem with being tall, along with the claustrophobic feeling that he got when in the parking garages where they had the yellow thing with a height on them.

"Oh, that's fine! Yes, I wanted to speak to you because I saw you looking at me earlier. Was there something you wanted to say?" Abrielle smiled up at him in return. Luke noticed that she had pretty honey brown eyes, with a slight slant. He frowned, and blushed, hoping that she hadn't gotten a bad impression of him.

"Um, I kind of wanted to talk to you, and couldn't find a time to," He said, cringing a little bit as he avoided her eyes. If honesty was supposed to be the best policy, it was bound to be less awkward, right? Abrielle smiled more.

"Well, you're talking to me now. So, Prince Luke, how have you found the selection so far?" Abrielle asked, stepping back a little to see him better. Luke estimated the height difference to be at least five inches, possibly a little more, and that was enough that he wouldn't be able to rest his chin on her head without bending down. Not that he would want to do that, since that sounded particularly odd of a thing to do.

"It's been good, I suppose. All of the girls have been really nice, but I've only met or seen the first fourteen, so it could still be horrible. It's also going to be hard to get outside when it's sunny, since I'm sure they'll take walks in the gardens, and it's always hard to run or practice sports when I have an audience," he said, looking out the window at the gardens below and wishing he could have been outside at that moment.

"Really? What sports do you play? I enjoy playing volleyball myself, though the fashion business doesn't give me much time for it," Abrielle said, also peeking out the window at the gardens below. Luke could see the perfect spot for a volleyball court, if they chose to set up one, though he supposed that his mother would protest the demolishment of the gazebo.

"All of them? I do like volleyball, though I don't get to play it often," replied Luke, remembering the last time he had played it. He'd gotten some of the guards together to do so, finding the few who knew how to play and had time off, and the game had been fairly fun. It had left him with fond memories of the game, and had been during one of the short lapses when Katelin was in some other province for her gymnastics meets.

"It's good to hear that you know how to play. You probably have less time than I do for that kind of thing, with all the meetings with King Maxon and preparing to rule. It would be hard, having to do something like that so often with both Sam and Fitz," Abrielle smiled, turning away from the picturesque gardens outside and back to him. Luke shrugged, and spotted Sam over across the room, laughing and talking with someone. Sam certainly didn't attend the meetings.

Luke glanced back at Abrielle, who was once again gazing out the window as though deep in thought about something. He could see that the guards were rotating, with some pacing back and forth along the flowerbeds and hedges, all of them impeccable and at attention.

"Abrielle, do you want to maybe play some volleyball and grab something to eat tomorrow?" Luke suddenly asked, unsure how he had found the confidence to do so even as he spoke the words. He watched Abrielle's face start to light up.

"As in a date? Luke, I would love to!" When he nodded at the word date, Abrielle's smile went even wider. Luke smiled back, mentally screaming and jumping around like a complete idiot, but kept his calm in reality. He could envision it already, and would make sure to talk to Jadie to work on planning it to make it completely perfect, and to reserve the garden so Fitz or Sam wouldn't get in the way.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Luke walked away from Abrielle with a happy feeling rising in his chest, and spotted Flavia and Cosette walking back over to Abrielle, who was still slightly smiling and gestured at him to them.

As he walked away from them, he came across another group of girls that quickly intercepted him and circled around him, though not in a threatening way. Well, only two were actually circling, Aurelia and Illonie. Albany was just standing next to them about a foot away.

"Hello, Prince Luke!" said Aurelia, smiling happily and looking quite lively in her green dress. Illonie, not to be outdone in the greeting of people, stepped forward and repeated the words, before a neon green blur swooped in and took Albany hostage.

Jadie, her curls bouncing, consulted her clipboard with a frown.

"Lady Albany, we didn't get you to your style assessment for the next report, did we? Hmm, let's go see Aris, we can fix that. Lady Illonie, Lady Aurelia, come!" Without hesitation, Jadie dragged the girls away and left a very bewildered and frowning Luke in her wake. That had most certainly not been a success, he thought perplexedly. Illonie and Aurelia had both looked nice, and while he hadn't had enough time to figure out Albany, he was sure that she was as well.

Deciding to see what the girls were doing, and what a "Style Assessment" was, Luke slowly trailed Jadie across the room and ducked out down a side door so he had access to the room he could hear voices coming from. He stuck closely to the wall, feeling a bit like a spy in one of the old action movies Katelin liked, and found a spot where he could clearly see inside the room.

Aris Danes, the official style fashion person for the selection that Luke didn't know the official title of, was standing with his back turned to Luke, surveying a long line of girls that were aligned on the wall facing him. Luke quickly realized that these were the girls in the next group.

"Alright, darlings, I believe our work is done! Some of you will be chosen to have the minute interview aired on our next special, and others will have your dresses shown in the style portion. Ah, Jadie, you've brought the three we didn't get to before? Come, darlings, we can get all three of you in the style section," Aris clapped his hands, his voice delicate and clipped. He was less ostentatious than Jadie was, but wore a cream colored suit that marked him as a man of fashion, complete with a berry colored tie. From prior experience, Luke knew that he also had an oddly shaped extremely short beard.

As Luke continued to look in the room, he noticed that Royce Fadaye was chatting with a few of the girls. From prior experience, he also knew that Royce and Aris were very close friends. He was just about to turn around and head back towards the room before he heard voices from the other end of the hallway he was lurking in.

"Come on, you could have worn long sleeves or that pantsuit thing you like, but a jacket? Seriously, Katelin, I know your style is odd, but this?" Luke drew in a sharp breath and plastered himself even closer to the fall when he heard the name Katelin.

"Yes, but Aris would focus on me if I wore either of those, and we don't want that. Plus, he's one of us, the pantsuit would give it away," Luke couldn't honestly say he could make any sense of Katelin's words, especially the last sentence about Aris being one of them, but the fact that Katelin was involved made him want to get out of the general area as soon as possible. If he had been more curious and less afraid of her, he might have been away to solve the mystery, but this was Katelin.

He quickly ducked back into the room with a sigh, noticing that Sam had disappeared and that Fitz was waiting near a recently arrived Jadie, who hadn't seemed to notice his sudden appearance. The girls from the current group were leaving, and Luke gave Abrielle a quick wave and a smile.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The next chapter is going to introduce the next set of girls! It seems that everyone got a little confused where there character ended up, and the shift full things on my profile are unreliable, but be prepared. I'll try to write the next chapter as fast as I can so everyone can read it. While we're waiting, who do you like the best out of the girls so far? Besides the one you might have created, of course.**


	18. Meeting the Princes, Part Four

**Prince Fitz's POV**

Fitz checked his watch. It had only been five minutes since his hurried conversation with Albany and Atlantis, yet Jadie was already gathering up the girls for the next shift and had lead them to a small room a few feet away to wait, Sam ducking in after a few words with the woman and Luke practically floating in looking slightly happy and fairly confused. The two were now both seated in chairs, staring at the wall while Fitz paced back and forth as much as he could.

He was currently stopped in the middle of his tracks, surveying his brothers with a practiced eye, attempting to figure out what exactly had caused them to revert to a vegetable like state. With Luke, he had heard him whisper something about a date, and it was simple enough to figure out that the middle triplet had already planned something. With Sam, it was much more difficult, since he hadn't given anything away about the strange exit from the room he had performed earlier.

The squeak of the door made Fitz turn around and see Jadie waiting for them once again. To his surprise, Jadie was accompanied by a tall, thin man with graying brown hair and a sharp cream colored suit. The man smiled and clapped his hands together before rushing into the small space.

"Aris Danes, your highnesses. Delighted to make your acquaintances. Matching suits, quite a statement, quite a statement! Jadie, dear, they seem fine, though this one seems to be a little droopy. Are you in good health, small one?" Aris marched over to Sam, at which Sam rolled his eyes and thankfully stood up. Fitz could now remember seeing the fashion consultant and reporter on TV before, though they'd never been introduced.

"Aris, please. Princes, time to get back into the room. I'll send someone to check on Mae and let you know about her condition after this shift, Prince Samuel," Jadie nodded to Sam, who looked slightly embarrassed and ducked his face down. Aris raised a carefully done eyebrow, but Jadie waved him off and out of the room.

"I'm sorry about that. Aris wanted to see you, and I'm sure you can tell that he can be a little overzealous sometimes. He was helping with the sections for the next report, the first on the selected, and felt the need to make his own picks of the girls that you would look best with. I personally find him quite vexing, with his critique on my fashion choices, but never mind that. Let's go!" Jadie told them, already moving out the door.

The three boys followed her to the large oak door that lead to the room again, and prepared to repeat the same procedure they had the first time. Fitz took the lead, checking to make sure Sam and Luke were on the correct sides, and gestured for the guards to swing open the doors. They did so with precision, and Fitz nodded his approval.

Upon stepping into the room, Fitz immediately noticed that there were more girls in this group, three more than last time. A total of seventeen, if his math was correct. They had all stopped and turned to stare at the princes for a moment before going back to doing whatever they had been doing before, some chatting in small groups, others hiding in corners, still others standing by themselves as if they didn't know what they were supposed do be doing.

This time, instead of heading towards the closest girl who was standing by herself, Fitz strode all the way across the room to talk to the first person that caught his eye. A few of the other girls watched him pass by them, while some were still talking or weren't paying any attention to him at girl he had chosen, and others still watched Sam and Luke as they moved around the room.

The girl he was walking over to, Stella Writer, was a three from Paloma. According to her binder section, she worked as a private tutor in both piano and algebra, showing that she would have been proficient in both of these subject areas. Her mother was a former five, which made sense with the piano. She wore her hair done in a French braid, much like many of the other girls. Braids seemed to be quite popular among the selected.

"Hello, Lady Stella. I hope your trip went well," said Fitz, noticing Stella's sapphire eyes as he greeted her. They were dusted with a blue eye shadow and lined with mascara, though Fitz wasn't completely sure whether mascara was the product that went on the lashes or the eyelid line. Stella nodded and gave him a sharp smile.

"It did, thank you for inquiring. The staff helping us seemed to be worried about a rebel ambush, though nothing of the sort happened," She replied, and Fitz remembered that Paloma had always been a constant source of rebel activity. It had gotten worse in recent years, after a slight lull in which the palace was almost completely missed by any attacks, and he knew that Jadie had been starting to worry about it again after a large scale event that had happened in the past week.

After America Singer was killed, and his mother became queen, the northern rebel attacks had ceased entirely. Instead, his father had started to combat the southern rebels, eventually wiping them out for a time. The remains of the northern rebels, who had been hoping for the dissolving of the castes, began to get restless, but held off on any attacks. This stayed until Fitz was eleven, a time where he recalled his father in many meetings, often involving talk about the "Self-named Atrocity Alliance" in Paloma.

"That's good to hear. Are you often troubled by the attacks?" Fitz asked, wanting to know more about the current situation. Stella shook her head, though a fleeting emotion crossed her face.

"No, they'll usually hit the other regions. It's vexing how they don't seem to have a purpose, or seem to be working towards some probably cause, such as turning Illea into a democracy," remarked Stella. She looked into his brown eyes with her sapphire blue ones, almost as if she was trying to tell him something without saying it out loud. The word democracy made Fitz raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's interesting you use that instead of the example of dissolving the caste system, Lady Stella. I take it this would be included in democracy?" Fitz was almost enjoying this, having a political discussion with someone who might be an equal. The selection appeared to originally be something without any substance, a glorified reality show and pageant, but this could change his view on it.

"Of course, Prince Fitz. All men are created equal, after all, and all people should get a chance to say what they think. Unfortunately, this isn't the goal of the rebels, and we must confine ourselves to this," Stella responded in a similar tone, citing the old American texts in her words, ending with a phrase that made this purely theoretical.

"Well, Lady Stella, thank you for this conversation. I hope to see you soon," said Fitz. Stella nodded and smiled, her eyes still on Fitz as he walked away. He was unsure what to make of Stella at the present, but he was certain she would somehow do something on a large scale.

The girl he had picked out to approach next was Kayleigh Hayes, a two and famous fashion designer from Waverly. She was the CEO of her own fashion company, named "Kay", and was known across Illea for her designs. She was standing by herself near the wall in a relatively close area of the room, and didn't seem to be making any effort to talk to anyone.

"Lady Kayleigh, it's nice to meet you. I've heard much about you," Fitz said, walking up to her and realizing that Stella's eyes were still following him around the room. He decided to ignore it at the present and focus on Kayleigh.

"You have? Oh, of course you have. It's nice to meet you, Prince Fitz," Kayleigh smiled and fixed her brown hair, which was down and curled, moving it so it fell down the back of her dark purple dress. Fitz remembered that Kayleigh was a year older than he was, but it didn't concern him. Out of the three princes, he might have been the only one to reach the point where he was more mature than many of his superiors in age.

"You're only twenty and you're the CEO of a company. A rather successful one, or so I've heard," replied Fitz, knowing the sheer number of times he had seen advertisements for her brand. Kayleigh gave him a little nod, and he noticed that she was still smiling. It was strange, though, because he hadn't taken he for a very smiley type of girl.

"Yes, it is successful, but I'm certain that everyone in Illea knows your name," said Kayleigh, pointing out the fact that he was a prince and a future ruler of the country while she was just an extremely professional individual with a business that was doing better than many in the country and was a leader in the fashion industry. Fitz suddenly wondered how she and Abrielle, the other fashion designer two, would get along.

"I was born into that, Lady Kayleigh. You, on the other hand were not, and this gives you the upper hand," Fitz smiled at Kayleigh, who developed a sudden interest in her plain black heeled shoes. However, Kayleigh soon looked back up at Fitz like she hadn't done anything.

"See? No argument can be made. Plus, you have more useful talent than I do. I'd be completely useless in a fashion emergency," To Fitz's surprise, he had made a joke. Kayleigh giggled for a second, and he felt like he had just made some extremely important accomplishment. Out of all the members of his immediate family, he had seemed to have inherited the inability to be humorous gene.

"It was nice talking to you, Lady Kayleigh," said Fitz, hoping that she would actually reply this time and slightly disappointed that they hadn't exactly had any sort of profound talk, though that wasn't the purpose of this event. It was solely to meet the girls, not have philosophical debates.

"Same to you, Prince Fitz," Kayleigh also looked disappointed that he had to move on, but he didn't want a repeat of the first group of girls. Jadie had chastised him enough for that.

Turning away from Kayleigh, Fitz spotted a familiar face not far from him. Her hair was no longer quite as brightly colored as it had been in her application, and seemed to even be back to it's original and long hidden shade of blonde. It appeared that she hadn't talked to Sam yet, though he had definitely noticed her, which gave Fitz ample time to see how she was doing and make sure that Sam wasn't about to get decapitated, or worse.

"Lady Pandora?" He walked over to her, keeping an eye out for Sam and making sure that this was, in fact, Pandora D'Aboville. She looked up, which was a good sign, and appeared startled at the sight of him.

"Prince Fitz! It's good to see you, but I didn't expect to get to talk to you," Pandora smiled, but looked a little wary of him. He had never been her favorite out of the three brothers, that honor had always been reserved for Sam, but he was glad she wasn't openly hostile.

"I just wanted to make sure nothing catastrophic was going to happen, and had a few spare seconds. You two haven't interacted yet, correct?" He asked, still worried he might have missed something and that Pandora would be out for blood. It might just have been the fact that Katelin had been hanging around the palace for a few months, but Fitz was always one to assume the most violent option would happen when it came to female matters.

"Yeah," said Pandora, as if she didn't know what to think about that. Fitz nodded, and searched the room for who he would talk to next as he thought of something to say.

"Well, don't hurt him. Goodbye, Pandora," he said, and she nodded before looking back on where Sam was currently, chatting with a girl who had red hair and freckles. If Sam was avoiding her, he wouldn't be able to do it for very long, though the conversation between the two was guaranteed to be awkward to the highest degree.

"Fitz, wait. Larkin Thatcher, in the pale yellow over there, she's nice. Go talk to her," Pandora grinned at him and shooed him in Larkin's general direction, with Fitz realizing that she had been the only girl to leave off the prince in his name. It was an interesting feeling, and he didn't know what to think of it.

Larkin Thatcher was one of the two sevens, the only one in this group since Aurelia had been in the first, and was from Whites. Fitz thought that he had seen her with Scarlett Bronzine earlier, but Scarlett was chatting with Luke in a different part of the room. She wore a pale yellow dress and a pair of white ballet flats, along with having a daisy tucked behind her ear and slightly fastened into her long braid.

Fitz moved over to be closer to Larkin, within a few yards when Larkin looked over and saw him approaching. Larkin's eyes widened and she seemed to close in on herself, which wasn't hard for her to do considering she was more than a foot shorter than him. He had seen girls here that he dwarfed in height, but him standing next to her was like comparing a three-story apartment building to the Empire State building. In other words, he towered over her.

"Hello, Lady Larkin. Are you okay?" Fitz asked, his brow furrowing at the girl's apparent state of shyness and her quiet demeanor. Pandora had said she was nice, but he didn't see how the two could interact with the smaller girl being so quiet.

"Y-yes, I'm fine. It's just Lark," replied Lark, almost so quietly that Fitz could barely hear her, and he had to strain his ears to hear her voice at all. The yellow daisy in her hair seemed to make a mockery of her quietness, as if the flower was judging her for not being loud enough. For some reason, Fitz had always hated daisies, though no one could have ever guessed.

"Okay, Lark. You help work with dog sleds, correct? Do you enjoy doing that?" Fitz thought that mentioned her work might help her relax, since he was a little worried that she might curl into a ball, roll out of the room like an armadillo, and end up hiding in a closet and never coming out. In reality, she wasn't actually nervous to that degree and wasn't even shaking, but Fitz's protective instincts had kicked in.

Lark nodded, which wasn't the intended response he'd hoped for, but she seemed to relax a little. Fitz had to assume that the nod was an answer to both questions. She started to say something, hesitated, then continued.

"Yes, I work with mushers," she said, still barely loud enough for Fitz to hear, but Lark was trying. He knew very little about Whites and the culture that it had, especially the sled dogs and that history, but this moment was enough to make Fitz decide to go and become and expert on the subject, if only to better talk with Lark.

"That's fascinating. I'll remember to talk with you more on the subject when I'm better educated, if you don't mind. I'm afraid I have to go," Fitz told Lark, who proceeded to nod once again, and a faint glimmer of a nervous smile crossed her face.

"That sounds wonderful, your highness," replied Lark. Fitz smiled at her once again and started to move away from her, thinking about how small she was compared to him in both height and size. It would be nice to get to know her, and even better to see her more comfortable and less nervous.

Passing by a few girls as he walked aimlessly around the room, making decisions on who to talk to and who to avoid, a dull pink shape suddenly appeared and stood in front of him. It was a girl with long chestnut colored hair and doe shaped blue eyes, wearing a dress of the dull pink color he had seen, her face done with bright pink lip gloss and sparkly eye shadow. Gloria Saylor, the weather reporter two from Kent.

"Hello, Prince Fitz," drawled Gloria, lowering her eyelashes and tilting herself slightly to one side. Fitz blinked, and took a second to redo his notes on Gloria. This was new, thankfully, none of the first group of girls being like this. Gloria twirled a long of her hair and smirked.

Fitz tried to remember what he had studied on body language after that incident with the girl in Brazil on the diplomatic relations trip that one time a few years ago, mainly in hopes of avoiding this all together and getting out alive. Luke never had to deal with this, and Sam was often the one who caused this kind of trouble. It was best to be polite.

"Hello, Lady Gloria," he replied, looking for any nearby girl that he could use as an escape. He had been thrown into one of the few situations that made him uncomfortable, not merely annoyed, and this was one that he was also absolutely terrible at dealing with in a manner becoming to a prince of Illea. The brazil incident had ended in Sam swooping in and Fitz climbing out through a window while the girl was distracted.

"It's so great to meet you, your highness," responded Gloria, fluttering her eyelashes as she spoke, her smirk growing wider. He saw a girl not far from him and Gloria, wearing a blue dress and standing by herself, occasionally saying something to a passing girl or shrinking back when one of his brothers passed by her current standing spot.

"Same to you, Lady Gloria, but I should go, Jadie will be on my case for not meeting enough of the girls," Fitz attempted to make a hasty exit while searching the room for the neon green teacher herself, hoping that she could come in and help him.

"Her? Horrible fashion sense, and her hair is awful!" remarked Gloria, frowning in Jadie's direction, not noticing that Fitz was slowly backing away from her and towards the girl he had identified as Elia Mike, a five.

Gloria continued talking, not seeing that he was gone until he was already standing next to Elia. Elia looked a little confused at his sudden arrival, but shrugged it off and gave him a wide smile. She was a harpist from Lakedon, and he'd glanced at the binders before the first group as a refresher and had looked over her section in more depth. She'd played in many famous venues across Illea, obviously being very good at her chosen profession, and had played with many orchestras in her short career so far.

"Hi, Prince Fitz. Was she bothering you?" asked Elia, adjusting the blue headband in her brown hair. She peered over at Gloria, who looked slightly ticked and was saying something with a scowl on her face to another girl nearby. Fitz watched as the other girl retorted with something that looked equally mean, and knew that it would be in everyone's best interests to stay away from that area for awhile.

"In a way. How are you, Lady Elia?" Fitz smiled at Elia, who was already a much nicer person than Gloria in his mind. Elia was also much shorter than he was, only a few inches taller than Lark, but the difference was still less pronounced. She didn't wear heels, which might have helped her, but Fitz was just glad to be away from Gloria.

"I'm good, Prince Fitz," replied Elia. She fluffed out her skirt before looking back up at him, her sea blue eyes meeting with his. Maybe talking about music, or her harpist abilities, would be a good conversation starter with her. Alas, this was not to be, as Gloria started to approach again, this time more intent on not losing him.

"Well, Elia, I hope to talk to you again soon, but I think I have to run," he said, this time successfully locating Jadie, who was standing with her clipboard and frowning rather close by. Elia nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but spotted Gloria and seemed to understand.

"Okay, your highness. I also hope to talk to you again soon," replied Elia as he started to leave, at which Fitz smiled dolefully. He would have liked to know more about her, seeing as she seemed to be a nice girl. Fitz slowly walked up to Jadie, checking to make sure no one had followed him as he did so.

"Jadie! I wanted to check in with you to see how much time I had left, as last time I went a little overboard," Fitz said, smiling at Jadie and watching Gloria in his peripheral vision. Jadie smiled back at him, approving his apparent want for punctuality, and checked her watch before frowning. Fitz checked his own watch, which was hidden under his jacket cuff, and saw that he only had around five minutes left.

"Not very much time, but you could greet a few more of the girls with a simple hello," said Jadie, gesturing over at a small group that was clustering nearby awaiting the end of the shift so they could return to their rooms or wherever they went at this time. Fitz had never wondered about that before, but there was a time for everything.

"Good idea, Jadie. Thank you," He headed off towards the group, mentally matching faces with names as he moved towards them. Alette Salem, long black curly hair and a red dress. Scarlett Bronzine, a pink dress and a happy demeanor. Pandora, who Fitz could always recognize even without the colored hair. Maizie O'Keefe, a redhead with freckles dotting her face. Isa Jonson, the ballet dancer with a prosthetic leg. Adelaide Moreau, another dancer who obviously had French ancestry.

"Hello, Adelaide, Alette, Maizie, Pandora, Isa, Scarlett. How is everyone? Luke and Sam talked to you, yes?" he asked, and was greeted with a chorus of hellos. The girls all seemed fine, and said that his brothers had talked to them. Fitz looked from Sam, who was across the room, to Pandora, who subtly nodded in reply. They had talked, and it couldn't have been too horrible.

"Good. As the shift is almost over, I felt the need to at least see some of you, but I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk again," Fitz said, looking at each of them in turn. Jadie came over, attached to her clipboard like she always was, and quickly gathered them into a large horde with the other girls before ushering them out the door.

* * *

 **Author's Note: No, this chapter didn't feature all of the second shift girls, and some mentioned in the last few lines will get conversations with the other princes. If you liked how I portrayed your character, or thought I could have done it in a better way, let me know! Chapters should be longer from now on, but they'll still come out at the same rate they have been so far so we can get to more exciting things. I hope everyone is still engaged in the story, especially the people who submitted characters, since I think I've been a little slow at writing recently.**


	19. Meeting the Princes, Part Five

**Prince Sam's POV**

The youngest prince of Illea had never felt as nervous as he did in the moment the doors to the spacious room opened for the second time that day. The first time, he had been a little annoyed that he had to enter in such a plain way, but now he was grateful, because there was one person behind those doors that he didn't want to be noticed by.

The room was still lit with sunlight, the rays causing the shadows of the windows to be even more defined on the ground. Sam only noticed this because, until he found someone to talk to, he was keeping his head firmly pointed at the ground. He wasn't used to doing this, and it was hard not to jump up and run around the room just to let everyone know he was there.

It was also hard to blend in as one guy in a huge room speckled with a large number of assorted girls who weren't providing very many opportunities for him to not be seen. He walked over to a window, suddenly noticing that the curtains were a similar color to his suit, and stood very still in front of it to camouflage himself.

Sam saw Fitz walking to the other side of the room before stopping at a girl in turquoise, starting up a conversation and nodding politely. The girl, whose name was completely escaping his mind, smiled in return and began saying something else to Fitz. She didn't appear to be his type, as he already could tell she was a little too uptight and intelligence-minded to be tolerant of someone like him, and she was talking to Fitz. That was last one was an obvious point as to why he wouldn't talk to her.

His view from in front of the curtain proved to be a good one, and Sam was able to look out upon the entirety of the room. There were a few girls that he would go over and talk to sometime during the shift, and he could remember most of their names, but the one girl he wanted to avoid was nowhere to be found. He would have noticed the rainbow hair and colorful demeanor by now.

A sound from the doors made him lean forward to see what was happening. It was Jadie, striding into the room in her bright pink heels and neon green outfit, seemingly on the warpath. She looked very pissed off. Sam didn't want to be the one she started yelling at, his natural survival instincts only kicking in when she was around, and he sincerely hoped that this curtain camouflage technique would work.

"Hey, Prince Samuel!" A girl with dark skin the color of milk chocolate gave him a large smile and a wave, her black curls bouncing on the back of her olive colored gown as she moved towards him. Sam's hand twitched up towards his head, but he turned it into an enthusiastic wave at the girl, whose name had also blanked from his mind. Did it start with a L?

"Dakota Winters, from Panama. It's cool to meet you in person," She said, her fingers fluttering to her face as though she expected to find something missing there, an easy smile radiating out at him. Sam was slightly miffed that his memory wasn't being completely functional, but this conversation would be a welcome distraction and good practice for getting himself back into his usual behavior.

"Same to you, 'kota. Do you mind if I call you that? Kota. It sounds nice," replied Sam, automatically shortening her name to fit with what his image of her was. Kota nodded, returning his grin, her hands doing the thing again.

"Yeah, it's basically my nickname at home. Sorry about the hands, I usually wear glasses and my makeover person wanted me to wear contacts. I don't think I'll wear them after today, though," Kota explained her movement as soon as she noticed him looking, and did it with speed. Sam didn't know anything about the process they went through after arriving at the palace, but judging from her use of "Makeover Person" they must have gone through some sort of styling.

"Don't worry about it. I've never had to wear them myself, but I've started to think that Fitz might need them soon," Sam laughed, thinking about his brother trying to put in contacts, at which Kota giggled and tossed her black curls over her shoulder.

"Really? Wow. That would be weird, especially since the media would freak out about it. That guy outside, Aris or something like that, spent a full five minutes gushing about how unusual my eyes were, and I'm only a selected!" exclaimed Kota, causing Sam to immediately look at her eyes. They were unusual. Her eyes were a bright icy blue that was usually only found on blondes with skin as pale as snow, and he could easily see why Aris had been a little overexcited about them, being something unique to single her out from the crowd.

"I've heard that the magazines and reporters will treat the selected as extensions of the royal family, at least until they return home, and it's supposed to be kind of annoying for the girls. I've found that the best way to deal with it is to encourage more attention," Sam grinned once again, at which Kota lowered her chin and squinted her eyes in disbelief. It was playful, though, and he could tell that she was trying not to crack up.

"Excuse, Miss Dakota, have any comments for the Illean Jewel magazine? Miss Dakota, over here! Miss Dakota, tell us your favorite type of bird!" He mimed holding up a microphone, doing a different voice for each reporter, making Kota finally burst out into loud bursts of laughter.

"You, Sam, are totally hilarious," giggled Kota, while Sam was thankful that no one was paying the two of them very much interest. Kota finally straightened up, holding her stomach from the force of her giggles, and used elbow hand to push her overflowing curls back into a manageable position. Sam pretended to consider her statement for a second, then shrugged. Kota nearly starting laughing again, but she saw Jadie giving them a disapproving look from the other side of the room.

"Ah. Looks like Jadie would like me to move on. Sorry, Kota," said Sam, wrinkling his nose and frowning at the ground. Kota nodded, and smiled again. Sam tiled his head in confusion, as he thought she would be disappointed at not talking more.

"It's cool. I understand, plus, Jadie's a good person," replied Kota, shooing him away in the direction of another girl with hand gestures. She brushed her hair back behind her head once again, and gave Jadie a little wave, leaning towards the side so that the neon green blur would see her. Sam was even more confused at this, but he had other matters to attend at the present.

A girl with strawberry blonde hair back in a French braid had glided up next to him when he had only gotten a few yards away from Kota. As soon as he looked at her, Sam knew what kind of girl she was, and it both troubled him and excited him at the same time.

This new girl wore a long white dress with a white slit up one of the sides, the dress fitted to her body and seemed designed to accentuate her curves as much as possible. Her makeup was skillfully done, layered but not layered enough to make her face seem too pasty. A calculating smirk was plastered across her face as she walked over to him, though she quickly changed it to a simpering smile, and she walked as though she owned the world.

Sam knew what to do in situations such as this one, even though he was extremely out of practice. He had a system of getting through this. The only problem with this was that he was more in the laughing, pranking, joking mood today, and he needed to have a different demeanor to enact it. The first rule had always been to not think things through, and he used that in most areas of his life. The second rule was to act like he didn't think at all.

"Prince Samuel, what a pleasure to meet you!" said the girl, batting her eyelashes and standing much closer to him than Kota had. Her voice wasn't cheery, not as happy and light as many of the girls' voices had been, and it was laced with a hint of a purr. Naturally, his third rule was to always flirt when flirted with.

"Likewise, Lady...?" replied Sam, politely asking her name as he looked her over, figuring out how much trouble he was about to get himself into. The girl's smile fell for a second, but quickly came back. "Lady Evangeline Montgomery. From Belcourt," She said, not mentioning her caste or job. It didn't matter, since Sam could now remember that this girl was a six. That might have explained why he couldn't remember her name. He had mistaken Evangeline for a two.

It was weird that someone born into life in one of the lower castes would end up looking like that. To Sam, the people in the lower castes always wore shabby, muddy clothes, and had to work all day until their fingers bled. Many people were surprised at the fact the youngest prince actually cared about the people in the lower castes, but he didn't give them many chances to find out about it.

"Right," Sam nodded. Evangeline appeared as if she was waiting for something, but Sam had already determined that he wasn't in the mood for this right now. He could probably check back with her in a few days, if she wasn't all that offended. Evangeline was a six who acted like a two. It seemed to be in her nature to not get offended, though saying something about her caste would be bad.

"The palace is simply luxurious, and I assume that you live like this all the time, right? We don't get any like this this back home. You live so much better than sixes like me do!" Evangeline now had a large, sweet smile on her face and had placed a hand on his arm, perplexing Sam to no end. Why was she saying that she was a six? Wouldn't someone like her try to hide it?

Even in his confusion, Sam was still able to slowly edge away from Evangeline, removing her hand from his arm and stepping back. "You know, Evangeline, I think I should go. You'd probably want to talk to Luke or Fitz more than me, anyways," said Sam as he made his hasty retreat, nearly backing into another girl as he did so.

"Hey, watch it! Oh, my apologizes, Prince Sam," Gloria Saylor smiled at him the same way Evangeline had just a few moments ago, and Sam began to step in the direction of a red-haired girl who looked like she would be much more fun to hang around with at the moment. Unfortunately, a frowning Evangeline spotted Gloria next to Sam and strutted over.

"Who are you?" Evangeline scowled at Gloria, her hands on her hips. Gloria raised a carefully shaped eyebrow and crossed her arms. It was obvious she didn't appreciate the way Evangeline spoke to her, or the fact that she didn't know who Gloria was, but he honestly didn't care what they were doing until he was out of their general radius. "I'd ask you the same question, but it doesn't matter. I'm Gloria Saylor, the weather reporter. You're nobody," Gloria smirked once again, not seeing that Sam was still close by. Fortunately, he wouldn't be for very long.

He returned to his position in front of a curtain, across the room from the first one. This window had a pretty great view of the trees behind the palace, the ones that weren't behind the garden, and Sam remembered Luke liked to run through the trees that he was now viewing, especially when something was happening in the palace. Sam only knew this because he'd often bring girls into this room for things and close the curtains, usually seeing Luke somewhere outside. With a sigh and a quick ruffling of his hair, he turned back around to suppress the bad memories and find out who he would see next. The red haired girl was standing nearby.

Sam strode over to her, turning his neutral frown into a large smile, and gave her a tiny wave as he walked up. This girl was even shorter than he was, even shorter than the blonde haired girl he'd seen Fitz with a few moments ago. She wore a dress with a grayish pink-purple colored skirt, her hair in two long fiery red braids that trailed down her back. For once, Sam could actually remember someone's name, and it made him grin.

"Maizie!" he exclaimed, bouncing on the middle of his feet as he called out to her. Maizie grinned back, raising a hand in greeting, and pulled one of her braids back behind her back. Sam felt a little off after the encounter with Evangeline and Gloria, and this red-haired girl seemed like the best thing to get him back to his usual, energetic, slightly wild self.

"Hello, Sam! Wow. I'm glad I get to talk to you today! All three of you look so tall, but it's good to see that you don't tower over me as much as Luke or Fitz do. It's actually not bad being small when you have to do what I do for a living, and it certainly helps when you don't weigh all that much. Aerial silks are so cool, have you ever tried them? You look like you'd be good at them, with some practice," Maizie's mouth moved faster than Sam's could at times. It took a second for him to figure out what aerial silks were, but Maizie was an acrobat, so that must have been it.

"I can't say I have, I'm not all that gifted in the physical department," He replied with a nonchalant shrug, even though he thought it would be awesome to try it out sometime. Maizie seemed to consider this for a moment. Sam watched her take a quick step back then launch herself into an upside twist thing in the air, similar to what gymnasts at the Olympics would do. She landed on her feet and gave him a wide, confident grin.

"Yeah, you probably couldn't do that. It takes practice, and you could eventually do it with time, right?" Maizie laughed at his facial expression and smoothed her dress out. She'd moved so quickly that it had barely even moved from it's current position. After tucking her braids back behind her head, Maizie crossed her arms and smiled again at him.

"Maybe? I don't know, that was pretty awesome. I'll have to see you about that some other time," replied Sam, considering trying to do it at that very moment and making a complete fool out of himself in front of this amazing, fire-hared girl who seemed to be able to do anything. Maizie shrugged at him and gave him a much smaller smile.

"Oh, you have to leave already? Okay. Who are you going to see next?" asked Maizie, the same hint of disappointment in her voice that every girl had when he had to end their conversation and move on. Sam scanned the room, knowing that he needed to tackle his biggest problem soon and stop wasting time, but he could at least say hi to someone first.

"Hey, Alette! Come say hi!" Maizie waved over a girl with dark curls. "She's a two, but she's actually kind of nice. Alette is a race car driver, which is almost as cool as what I get to do," Alette had reached the two by now, and was still much closer to Sam was in height than Maizie was. It was so nice to be taller than someone for once.

"Hello, Prince Sam. How are you, Maizie? I saw your backflip twist thing, that was amazing!" Alette smiled at Maizie, nodding at Sam as she did so. Maizie started to talk in her rapid stream of words again to an attentive Alette, which meant it was finally time for Sam to get his act together and go talk to Pandora.

At first, he couldn't figure out where she was. None of the girls in the room had any of the bright colors of hair associated with his ex, not the rainbow hair he'd seen her sporting in her application or the black dyed with pastel tips she'd had when they had broken up two years ago. He then tried to look for some sort of other colorful thing that looked like it matched with her. He finally noticed a girl, thankfully alone, wearing a two piece dress that had an orange skirt with straight blonde hair. Sam wasn't sure if that was her, but it was worth a try.

Pandora turned around when she heard him coming, and he could confirm that this was most certainly her. The electric blue eyes and small scar near her eyebrow were even more proof that it was her. Sam was confused on why she was a blonde now, but everything about her matched perfectly with Pandora Sabine D'Aboville.

The second Pandora saw him, it was like time slowed down. Sam was suddenly scared about what would happen. All the memories of the time they had spent together that had been so long ignored came flooding back into his mind at the same time, the good ones and those that he would have liked to forget. The one that seemed to be the most prominent, the one that had he had never been able to ignore, was there too.

"Sam?" Pandora's electric blue eyes looked straight at him, piercing right into his thoughts as if she could hear them. He instinctively started to scratch his head, the nervous tick coming back again, and slowly nodded. She hesitated, unsure if he was going to leave and avoid her once again, but Sam stayed put. His heart was starting to pound in his chest in a familiar, fast pattern.

"So. Someone was finally able to convince you to dye your hair a normal color?" said Sam, then grimaced at how that probably wasn't the best way to start this conversation. Pandora laughed, and lifted up the ends of her hair to reveal rainbow colored strands that had been hidden. "No, just something a little different," Sam laughed in spite of himself and knew that he should have known that Pandora would do something like that.

"It makes you look like a different person at first. I could barely see you in the crowd earlier," replied Sam. This made him look around at the surrounding girls, even though he knew that Pandora would be the last person he would talk to at this point. Pandora laughed again, and followed his eyes. It was starting to feel more familiar, like they were still together and they hadn't been apart for two whole years.

"I've been with a few other fives. Have you talked to anyone you've liked yet?" Pandora asked him with a sad half smile on her face, gesturing towards a group of fives that she had been standing with earlier when he had been camouflaged in the curtain and when he had been talking with Kota, who was now surprisingly chatting with Jadie and another girl that Sam hadn't met yet.

"I guess? I don't really know at this point, most of you have been pretty cool," replied Sam, his head turning back and forth between Pandora and the other girls. Pandora nodded once, and her face suddenly broke into a wide grin. She was looking over at Jadie, who she had met a few times when they had been dating, and then twisted to look back at Sam.

"She's the supervisor now? It's kind of hard to miss her," said Pandora, squinting as she pretended that Jadie was too bright. This, of course, got Sam laughing and Pandora soon joined in. It felt even better than laughing with any of the other girls, and it gave him a warm feeling that was similar yet very different to what he had felt with Mae. It was good to be with Pandora again.

"Yeah. Pandora, I was thinking that we should probably talk somewhere else. Like, without any eavesdroppers. Can I meet you on the roof at the usual spot in two nights?" Sam stopped laughing and cut to the matter that was probably haunting both of them. There was no way they could have talked and had a decent conversation about what had happened to them with this many people walking around.

"Of course. I've missed you, Prince Samuel Schreave," said Pandora, looking down at her feet with a melancholy smile on her face. It gave Sam time to prepare and do something with Mae first, along with letting them have a few days of peace in the palace in case it didn't turn out very well for either of them.

"I've missed you too," Sam winced at the use of his full name. He had missed Pandora, obviously, but she didn't need to use his full name like he was in trouble or something. Pandora noticed and cracked a tiny grin. She smoothed down her hair so the rainbow was covered and began to walk away from him. The shift was almost over, anyway, and Jadie would be rounding the girls up soon.

"See you soon, Dory!" Sam yelled and whispered to her at the same time before practically sprinting away from her. Pandora's grin went even larger and she waved back at him before standing next to Maizie, who told Pandora something that Sam couldn't hear. If they could make it to the night after tomorrow night, everything would turn out perfectly. At least, he hoped that it would.


	20. Meeting the Princes, Part Six

**Prince Luke's POV**

Since the moment he had asked Abrielle to go on a date, Luke had been ridiculously happy, along with being fairly nervous at the prospect of what they were going to do. He was good enough at volleyball, but hadn't practiced the sport in a long time, and what if he messed up or did something completely idiotic? The odds were not currently in his favor on that one, considering he had ended up trying to act like a spy and overheard one of Katelin's secret conversations with someone who could have been anyone.

His mind was still reeling from that. He had ducked back into the room afterwards, seeing that Sam was missing and that Fitz was occupied, proceeding to give Abrielle a hurried wave and a miniscule smile. Thankfully, she had responded back with her own less hurried wave and larger smile. Luke couldn't believe how quickly he had been able to acquire his first date with one of the selected. Even Sam hadn't seemed to ask anyone out yet!

As he sat in the room with his brothers, Luke stared at the opposite wall and thought about the events of the day so far. He had already met such a large percentage of the girls. He was more nervous about Katelin possibly decapitating Abrielle, given that she was always prone to finding out about everything, and wondered if they could somehow monitor the extremely violent girl on the grounds of her being a safety hazard. Luke still didn't know why he had stayed with her for so long.

A sharp squeal from the door opening made Luke look up with a sharp jerk of his head. Jadie, her curly black hair appearing more squished to one side than it had been when he had last seen her, had brought the three princes a visitor. He immediately recognized him as Aris Dannes, the man working on the style report for the selection, the one that Katelin had mentioned being the same as her.

Aris clapped his hands together and beamed at the three princes before bounding into the room like an overexcited puppy. He looked around with surprising verve for someone he looked older than both of Luke's parents, and suddenly turned and marched over to Sam, who had been in a similarly slumped position to Luke's.

"Aris Danes, your highnesses. Delighted to make your acquaintances. Matching suits, quite a statement, quite a statement! Jadie, dear, they seem fine, though this one seems to be a little droopy. Are you in good health, small one?" Aris frowned at Sam, who rolled his eyes and stood up to be away from him. Fitz appeared as though he was trying to place Aris in his mental book of people. Luke didn't know if either of them had seen the fashion consultant before, though Sam might have.

Jadie walked over to Aris with her clipboard tucked firmly under her arm and gave a small sigh before turning her head to see the three boys. Luke noticed that while Jadie didn't look nearly as tired as his mother did, she still had large dark circles under her eyes that had been masterfully hidden with makeup. For some odd reason, makeup made Luke think about ballet. He internally groaned because Cosette probably would have said something to someone by now.

"Aris, please. Princes, time to get back into the room. I'll send someone to check on Mae and let you know about her condition after this shift, Prince Samuel," Luke perked up at the mention of a girl. It explained why his brother was acting so strange. Maybe he had found someone he really liked too! The fact that Jadie had said condition was worrying, honestly, with Sam's penchant for troublemaking.

Sam looked slightly embarrassed at this and ducked his head down. Aris raised an eyebrow and had an expression on his face that Luke presumed meant he was excited at hearing the details of a possible news story he could tell Royce Fadaye about, and had his left hand touching a pen he wore in his lapel. Jadie noticed this and waved Aris out of the room, at which the fashion consultant had no choice but to obey her orders. Luke still heard him mutter something under his breath.

"I'm sorry about that. Aris wanted to see you, and I'm sure you can tell that he can be a little overzealous sometimes. He was helping with the sections for the next report, the first on the selected, and felt the need to make his own picks of the girls that you would look best with. I personally find him quite vexing, with his critique on my fashion choices, but never mind that. Let's go!" Jadie was moving out the door by the time she had finished her last sentence. Sam and Fitz were both already standing, and Luke pushed himself out of the chair to follow them back to the room.

Inside the great room of space, which was what Fitz had called it when the three princes were still in their single digits, a larger number of girls was waiting for the triplets. Fitz quickly singled someone out of the crowd and started moving. Sam took longer before he moved to a positon in front of a curtain that somewhat suspiciously matched the suits the three wore.

Trying out a new tactic, Luke closed his eyes, moved them around a bit, and opened them to look at a girl who had a very French look about her. It was easier than making them standing in the line and playing that game he used to make decisions as a kid, but it made it harder to figure out which people would actually give him a minutes of their time that could have been spent with Sam or Fitz.

He knew that she was, in fact, French. Adalacia Moreau had been born in France and had immigrated to Illea three years before the selection. From what Luke knew, it had been pretty difficult for Jadie to figure out how to approve all of her papers. He'd heard that some Illeans in places like Paloma and Dominica were angry that they were letting an immigrant into the selection, but Adalacia had gone through the process to get a double citizenship so she could be in the selection and still have a French one. It was fascinating to Luke, but he doubted she'd want to talk about that.

"Hello, Lady Adalacia," said Luke, at which Adalacia gave him a wide smile. She wore a light colored dress, Luke thought it was a pastel pink, and had her dark brown hair up in an elegant twisted bun with a jeweled butterfly pin fastening it in place. Adalacia adjusted a pearl bracelet she had around her wrist as he walked over, and quickly checked the light makeup that had been put upon her face with a small compact mirror.

"Hello, Prince Luke! It's very nice to see you," Adalacia said, her voice inflicted with a heavy French accent. She was one of the shorter girls in the shift, but had heels on beneath her long dress. Adalacia blinked up at him with a shy smile. She was very graceful, which was to be expected given her profession as a dancer at the Labrador Ballet Theatre. Luke's eyes went wide when he remembered that she was ballerina.

"It's also nice to see you. Your accent is pretty," Luke awkwardly smiled back at her, knowing that he was acting a little juvenile, and felt like a large, skinny birch tree compared to the graceful willow that she was. He had known girls like her back when he had done ballet, and they were some of the best in the class. This French immigrant was certainly talented.

"Oh! You like it? Thank you very much!" replied Adalicia, smiling even more after his compliment. She had her hands laced together and was standing still, making him notice that his hands were still fidgeting. For some odd reason, Luke had been the one out of the three that could never stop moving in some way. It probably should have been Sam, with his wild nature, but it wasn't.

To make himself feel more comfortable talking to her, Luke went back to his province game. Labrador was in what had once been in part of Canada, the country north of the United States when they had still existed. It was home to a large number of plants and animal, and Luke might have read something about it having polar bears. The thought of the roly-poly white animals made him smile just a little bit more.

"I've always found accents from other countries interesting. Compared to everywhere else in the world, Illeans can sound straight up raspy," responded Luke, shrugging his shoulders and remembering how he had gone through a phase where there was a week where he would only speak in a terrible British accent when he was seven. Sam had recently found an old recording and had laughed about it for quite awhile.

"No, no. You don't! To me, you also have an accent," Adalacia smiled but shook her head, denying the well known fact that some Illeans sounded absolutly terrible compared to the melodic voices of the British and the French. Luke suddenly realized that they might be close to changing the conversation topic, and he'd better get out of the area before anyone else found out the secret that he had done Ballet. Adalacia seemed like she might have spoken to Cosette, something guaranteed to end up in Adalacia knowing about it.

"Really? Well, that's new. It's been nice meeting you and your accent, Adalacia," said Luke, causing Adalacia to turn her smile into a small pout. "But I will talk to you again soon," added Luke, not wanting someone who was paying attention with him to become angry at him for something so simple. That had always been Sam's job, not his, and Fitz was too uptight for that to ever happen.

"I'll await it with excitement," Adalacia nodded politely as he began to move away. That hadn't been so bad, maybe even fascinating as having a selected from France could be interesting. Just as long as no one brought up ballet, everything would be completely fine and in perfect shape. It turned into a chant in his head as he thought about it. No ballet, No ballet, No ballet.

Luke made sure Adalacia was talking to someone else before he moved on to another girl. Adalacia quickly found a selected with curly black hair and a dark olive skin tone, Alette Salem, and began talking to her in her accent. Both girls had an ethnicity that wasn't Illean, though Luke wasn't sure if Alette had been born in Illea or in India. Her section in Jadie's massive binders hadn't included a birth certificate, unlike many of her comrades in the selection.

The girl who would be most convenient for Luke to talk to next stood only a few meters away. Her hair was a similar dark brown almost black color to Adalacia's, though Jillian's style was more lighthearted than Adalacia's elegance. Luke knew that Jillian also had medical records missing from her part in the binder, though he wasn't sure why the princes even needed to see the girl's medical records anyway. Her hair was back in a half-up half-down style, a change from the braids and buns that everyone else seemed to wear. Her oblong face and defined cheekbones, along with her nose, were the first things he noticed about her. She looked a little more real than some of the others.

"Hello, your highness." Jillian saw him coming towards her and did a small curtsy, like she wasn't sure what to do around him. She did seem slightly more relaxed than other selected had been talking to him. She had an air about her that made Luke wonder why she wore something more sweet and gentle when he was getting a vibe that she was a person better suited for regal colors and such, though he knew decidedly little about clothing.

"Hello, Lady Jillian. How are you?" said Luke. He thought his greeting may have been overly formal, but she had curtsied. Jillian gave him a slightly nervous smile and moved her arms so she wouldn't fidget with her hands. Luke was doing that at the present, but was unaware of it again. Before he had a chance to think about her province of Midston, Jillian spoke again.

"Good, thanks. It's really sunny here," replied Jillian, her face turning towards a nearby window that afternoon sunlight streamed in through. Luke nodded, used to it being that way after living in Angeles all his life. He knew Midston wasn't cloudy all the time, but the Angeles sun was often too bright for most people, and it seemed to penetrate all but the highest SPF sunscreens in the summer.

"Yes. You'll get used to it after some time, but try not to spend very long outside," Luke started to feel weird again. Also, what was with his saying after some time? He liked Jillian, of course, but didn't know if Sam or Fitz would outvote him when they did eliminations. Thinking about eliminations made him realize that they didn't actually have a system for doing them. That could be trouble.

Instead of worrying about that, he thought about Midston and all about it's history. It covered a very large portion of Illea and what had once been the United States, but was jolted out of thinking about it under Jadie's watchful eye. It was a shame, really, that he couldn't remember what the official provincial flower had been, because he was pretty sure it was some kind of rose.

"It was nice meeting you, Lady Jillian," said Luke, knowing once again that the conversation had been much too short. Jillian was the one who started to first move away from him, and Luke had to scan the room to figure out who he would meet next. He decided on talking with Avriella, Ashla, and Scarlett for a few minutes each, then would have a conversation with Taylor before moving on to Isa, the other ballerina.

Avriella Rhys, the first girl he planned to speak with, was standing alone near one of the numerous couches that lined the walls. She was two, but appeared to be a rather quiet person judging by the way she stood alone. She wore a blue dress that seemed to have an odd design. Luke wasn't sure what those types of dresses were called, but it was accented with a gold necklace and gold shoes. Look, he knew what a necklace was! Sam's sarcasm was starting to rub off on him.

"Hello, your highness," Avriella spoke first in a quiet, soft voice, not shy or nervous but more reserved. She was a model, but didn't like the spotlight. Luke thought that it would be amazing to be the center of attention for once, but he could have ended up with a different perspective if their places had been switched. His hands were still moving together and he had began picking at his fingernails.

"Hi, Avriella. How has your day been so far?" said Luke. By now, he knew that he was running out of conversation topics, and he hadn't actually asked anyone about their day yet. He had somehow gotten good manners as a kid even though his parents hadn't paid much attention to him at all. Avriella seemed reluctant to answer, but looked him in interest, as though she cared about what he was saying but didn't want to talk.

"It's been good. How about yours?" Avriella finally answered in a voice with a normal decibel level. She was pretty, being a model, but it must have been hard being one with a personality like hers. Celeste Newsome was somewhere in the palace, probably with Natalie and his mother, and comparing her to Avriella was almost hard to do. He had already heard about how Celeste's general kindness level had been improving for awhile until America's death.

"Good, thanks. Um, you're from Columbia, right? Do you like it there?" asked Luke, fighting to find something to say. He seemed to be all out of words for the time being. Avriella nodded, but didn't say anything else. Luke felt like face palming himself for feeling so out of it at that moment. If he didn't feel like all the energy had been sucked out of his body, this could have been a nice conversation. He probably should vacate the scene soon.

He had suddenly become a little more tired. Luke could see that Sam was talking to a red haired girl, still looking like he had more energy than Luke would ever have in his life, and Fitz was obviously Fitz. Luke supposed this was because he had trouble sleeping last night, though he'd thought that he wouldn't crash until he was done meeting all of the girls in the selection. Such as Katelin. Thinking about Katelin was good, because it made him paranoid, which made him more awake. He suddenly noticed he was listening to Avriella say something about how Columbia was okay.

"It's a good place to live, I guess. Angeles must be better," said Avriella, her voice still quiet and timid. She looked out the window, since it seemed like almost all the girls were drawn to the windows by some unexplainable force, and blinked into the bright sunshine that was coming in. This window looked out upon the garden, to the numerous rose flower beds and bushes that were placed there.

"I wouldn't really know, I don't get to leave it very often," replied Luke. He started at the tree that was growing next to the window, the leaves stretching across it and whacking against it whenever the breeze picked back up again. It was true, his parents and Fitz would often leave on some business or foreign relations trip and leave Luke and Sam at the palace. Sam usually had to stay home because he was likely to get drunk and start flirting with some middle aged foreign diplomat, and Luke hadn't been anywhere since the Italian Closet incident.

"Interesting," Avriella tilted her head as if thinking, and gave him a small half smile. Luke started to decide that this conversation really wasn't going anywhere, and that it would be time to move on, since he thought that it would take awhile for the blonde haired girl to start going out of her shell. Looking around the room, Luke saw the girl named Evangeline talking to someone with an expression on her face that seemed very patronizing. The personalities of the six and the two both went against the usual caste stereotypes completely.

"Okay. I think I need to talk to some of the other girls, but I hope we can talk some other time. Goodbye, Lady Avriella," Luke now knew better than to instead away, but it was hard watching Avriella look down at her gold shoes and nod without smiling. Luke took gave her a small, sad wave, and tried to find where the girl named Ashla Corden was.

Luke was mainly interested in Ashla because she was an archer. She was from Clermont, Celeste's old home province, and was also a two. When Luke had gone through her section in the binder, he had been reminded of a character from a book that he'd read a few years ago. It was from the days before Illea and was called "The Hunger Games". The main character was also good with a bow, and Ashla seemed to have the same spirit and skills.

"Hello, Prince Luke," said Ashla, walking over to him even before he started moving towards him. He saw her eyes quickly dart over to see if Fitz was heading their way, which he wasn't, then turned to focus back on Luke before he could say anything. "You're taller than you are on TV," Ashla wasn't short, thankfully, but Luke had never noticed that. Probably because he didn't like to watch himself on television.

"Really? Interesting. That's probably because they make me stand between Fitz and Sam. Fitz is a quarter inch taller than I am," replied Luke. It may have also been because Fitz tended to have an air about him that made him taller and more confident than Luke could ever be. Sam had always been the shortest one, but was so loud and loquacious that he made up for her height. Luke remembered that Ashla was 5'4', but she seemed to be slightly taller than that in her navy blue halter dress.

"I couldn't tell. I don't usually get to see it, anyway, because of Archery practice," Ashla shrugged her shoulders and then wobbled in her black wedge heels for a second before straightening herself up again. She now had an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, I'm used to wearing combat boots," Luke nodded in reply, trying to remember if those were the lace up ones or the ones with the metal. They could have been both, but he didn't know about shoes that girls wore.

"It's fine. It's fascinating that you do archery, though," replied Luke. Ashla brightened at the mention of archery, her smile getting bigger and her electric blue eyes having a more defined sparkle to them. Luke had tried it, but was fairly mediocre at it. It didn't require as much moving as any of the other sports he was good at. Basketball, soccer, even ice hockey took more running and using his feet. Archery required focus and standing still.

"Have you ever tried? Did you use a long bow, a recurve bow, or a compound bow?" asked Ashla, still excited. Luke made a face that Ashla laughed at. "Compound bows are the ones with the more mechanics, long bows are obviously long, and a recurve bow are the other ones. I can tell you've tried it from the way you're rubbing your left forearm," Luke blinked in surprise at Ashla's quick analysis of his attempts at archery, and knew she was talking about where the bow string had whapped him in the arm even with the arm guard thing.

"Yes, I did. I think I used a compound bow," he replied, Ashla nodding enthusiastically. "That's fine. You should come see me shoot sometime. Maybe you could bring Fitz if he wasn't busy," she said, gesturing a hand over in the general direction Fitz was in. Luke nodded, knowing that she probably was after Fitz more than she was for him.

"I'll try. Goodbye, Lady Ashla," Luke bade her farewell. Ashla started moving towards where Fitz was, though Luke knew Fitz was about to move again and she wouldn't get close to him in time. The next person he wanted to at least greet was Scarlett Bronzine, the young stagehand from Tammins. She was one of the youngest girls that had made it into the selection, barely making the age cutoff.

Scarlett's hair was up in a bun, and she wore an eye popping pink dress that made her easy to see in the room. Luke had a feeling that she and Jadie would get along just fine. As soon as Scarlett noticed him moving towards her, she started bouncing a little and a wide grin stretched from ear to ear on her face. She was the one who had seemed happy in her application photo, but that was fine with Luke.

"Hi, Luke! It's nice to see you. I hope we can talk more sometime!" Scarlett smiled up at him and fixed her bun to a better position, though Luke didn't see anything wrong with it. It appeared that Scarlett already knew that he wouldn't be able to talk very long and had prepared herself, which already made her smarter in Luke's eyes. It might be good to be around an extremely optimistic person.

"Hello, Lady Scarlett. I hope the same," Luke replied. He'd make sure to talk to Scarlett for at least a few minutes at the group activity tomorrow night, given that she seemed like she would also want to talk more to him. Luke began to notice that he wasn't being as ignored as he thought that he would end up being in the long run, which gave him even more hope for the future.

"That's great! Have you talked to Taylor? She's in purple, and though I haven't actually talked to her, she looks friendly!" exclaimed Scarlett, fixing her dress and smoothing it down to fix whatever damage had been done by her almost-skipping over to him. Luke knew that Taylor was the last girl he had to talk to, meaning he had made good progress with his original plan made nearly twenty minutes ago.

"I'll do that. Thanks for talking with me, Lady Scarlett," replied Luke, at which Scarlett gave him a wave and went back to talk to the red-haired Maizie O'Keeffe. He was already moving towards Taylor when he realized that he had forgotten about Isa Johnson, the ballerina with the prosthetic leg. It would work better to talk to Taylor then with Isa, especially since it would narrow down the time his experience as a ballet dancer would be known to the world.

"Hello, Lady Taylor. Hello, Jadie," said Luke. Jadie stood next to Taylor with a surprisingly protective expression on her face, and Taylor seemed unsure what to think of this neon green women next to her. Taylor was in purple, making the combination of colors work a little better than it would have if Jadie was standing next to someone like Scarlett.

"Luke, you should go see Isa. Taylor can talk to you later," Jadie said, looking down at Taylor as she did so. Taylor gave her a tiny shrug in return and gave Luke a shy glance and a little smile. Taylor did frown at the mention of later, and the mention of Isa, but Jadie was already ushering Luke towards the place where Isa currently stood. Isa looked overjoyed to see him, but kept her excitement down to a manageable level.

"Prince Luke, it's good to finally get to talk to you. Thank you, Jadie," Isa looked at the three of them, smiling at Jadie and Luke and appearing neutral to Taylor's presence there. Jadie smiled back and nodded, checking of something on her clipboard before turning to Taylor and moving her away from the two of them so they could talk. Taylor looked back, but then she and Jadie were gone.

"So, Luke. Cosette told me that you did ballet. Is that true?" said Isa. Luke winced and gave a small sigh at the same time, mentally unprepared for Isa starting off with that bombshell. Luke felt obliged to give her a small nod and look down at his shoes. Isa currently danced for the Illean School of Ballet, not the Angeles Pre-Company Ballet like he had up until a couple of years ago, but that didn't make him feel any better.

"That's awesome! I've been doing ballet since I was 3, and started pointe work when I was seven. I'm pretty good at it," Isa looked up at him in anticipation of him saying something about ballet being wonderful and that it was amazing how she had started pointe so early, but Luke kept looking down at his shoes and tried to melt into the floor. Isa frowned and attempted to say something about it again.

"You were with the Angeles Pre-Company, correct? That's interesting, I've always wanted to dance with them in the real company," said Isa. Luke nodded and looked up for a second at her face and away from her shoes before mumbling something that would have been incoherent to Isa. Isa considered what he was trying to say for a few seconds, then nodded like she understood.

"Are you worried about Sam? It's fine, Cosette didn't tell Adalacia or Kira," Isa gently patted his arm and shot a look in Sam's general direction, making him automatically feel better. Kira must have been the other ballet dancer in the selection, the only one who actually was a five and wasn't dancing for one of the major companies as a two. He'd already met Adalacia, of course.

"Yes. It's not something I bring up a lot," replied Luke, and Isa giggled. "It's fine being a ballet dancer! What did Sam make fun of you about? It originated as something men did, so if it was that-" Isa started to say, but Luke cut her off and quietly said," It was those awful tights,". This caused Isa to burst out in laughter, making him join in, at which Luke felt even better.

To him, the tights and outfits had always been the worst part of dancing. They weren't comfortable at all, and it was mortifying having to wear them in front of a crowd, being in them up on a stage. He could have made do with it being mostly a sport that tiny girls still in elementary school did, but he couldn't stand the idea of wearing the tights for the rest of his life. Also, the things Sam had said about them had not been very reassuring.

At that moment, Jadie called for the girls to go back over to her. The shift was over, and Isa gave him another smile, this one like she was trying not to laugh again. Luke shook his head. Isa was nice, but his old tights certainly weren't.

* * *

 **Author's Note: 5000 words! Exciting! Keeping this short because I'm sure we all want to be done with these meeting the princes chapters. Also, I think some people have stopped reading the story, so if you haven't reviewed since February, please do so now.**


	21. Meeting the Princes, Part Seven

**Prince Fitz's POV**

By the time the second group of girls had left the room and Jadie was leading the triplets back to the cramped room where they had waited previously, Fitz was already at work in his mind sorting the girls he had just met or seen into various groups and types. It was something akin to what he had done when he had first seen the girls in the lottery, though this was more of him using what he already knew than making predictions, that being what he had done then.

It would have been better to have a piece of paper and a perfectly sharpened number two pencil, but that didn't matter after Jadie decided that she was going to speed things up. This left him no time to do his sorting. He would have time to do it later, though he would have preferred to do it with the information still fresh in his memory, but there was no arguing with Jadie. Her clipboard was quite the intimidating weapon when it was being waved around. At times like these, Fitz could see where Katelin got a little bit of her intense personality from.

"Boys, don't sit, we'll be leaving in a minute. I've got an assistant helping get the girls into the room so we can do this in a more punctual fashion," Jadie said, scribbling something down onto the large pad of schedules and other things clipped to her clipboard. Fitz was positive that the assistant would be Naomi Petry, a close friend to the women, and that she had a similar personality to Jadie. She'd been around before the one time Jadie had gotten so sick she couldn't do anything and needed someone to help out.

Sam nodded at Jadie and stood very still in the center of the room. Luke, on the other hand, had started to turn green and looked like he was going to fall down, even leaning on the wall for support. Fitz was unsure if this was just because Luke was tired or if he was so scared of Katelin Flores-Lee that he was going to throw up to get out of meeting her in the room. The two hadn't really interacted, as far as Fitz was concerned.

"Prince Luke, are you okay? Should I send for a paper bag?" Jadie frowned as though Luke's current state was going to cause time issues. She also held her clipboard closer to her person as if Luke was going to ruin it with his reemerging, though quite meager, breakfast of one waffle and three bites of French toast. The middle triplet shook his head and pushed himself off the wall. Jadie nodded in approval.

The neon green planner made a sharp turn back out the door, motioning for the three to follow her, and brought them back to the magnificent oak wood entrance once again. The door barely squeaked when it was open this time, something that relieved Fitz. The sound had set him on edge when they had walked through before, and he didn't like the feeling. The guards next to the door were still the ones that had been their the entire time, but he knew that their turn of duty would be ending soon, however much Jadie would want them to stay and perfect the art of door-opening.

A glance in a passing mirror showed Fitz that he was still looking the same as before in his navy suit. Sam still appeared similar to his beginning form, though Luke's continuing green shade was a far cry from his normal skin tone. Fitz turned back to look at this brother and gave him a small half smile, causing Luke to nod and give him a thumbs up in return.

His strategy this time for choosing which girl to talk to was a simple one. Find the girl who seemed like she would have the most interesting conversation or find the girl who he had found interesting in the binders and the lottery. Fitz knew exactly which girls were left, though he didn't want to start with the person who would be getting the most attention, leaving a girl who was close by.

"Hello, Lady Renalie. I hope you've ben having a good day," said Fitz. Renalie, a girl with black hair and honey brown skin, turned towards him and gave him a bright smile. He had spoken to her first because Renalie happened to be the oldest girl in the entire selection, nearly four years older than himself, and he wanted to see if this would be an odd thing to have or if it wouldn't matter at all. Renalie certainly seemed intelligent, with her profession as a historian, and Fitz hoped that this proved to be a correct assesment.

"I am, thank you! The palace has been simply lovely so far," replied Renalie, her hazel eyes sweeping over him while looking almost as radiant as her smile. The red of her laced-sleeved dress made the few flecks of green in her eyes stand out even more, a smart decision in color, while the red also made her skin tone work better. Fitz had no idea where this type of analysis had come from, possibly stemming from the accidental rabbit hole of investigating the color spectrum that one time and ending up reading some sort of fashion magazine article.

"That's good to hear. Are you adjusting to the climate? Hudson is very different from Angeles," Fitz remembered that Hudson was her home province, as well as being the home of one of the better historical research buildings in Illea, stretching all the way from the Great Lakes to Hudson bay. Province trivia was more Luke's thing, however. Renalie tiled her head to think about this before slowly nodding.

"Yes, I think so. I haven't gotten much of an opportunity to go outside yet," Renalie replied. She gestured at the window and the bright sunshine, the light catching on an opal ring she wore. He noticed that she had a more joyous element to her personality from her tone of voice. She spoke elegantly enough, but he could tell that she could be more of a bouncy, excitable person when she wanted to be. Having someone both intelligent and excitable would be an interesting element to the selection. He was now eager to see how she would interact with people like Atlantis or Scarlett, how both sides would shine through depending on who she was speaking to at that moment in time.

"You will, eventually. Are you excited to be here for the selection?" inquired Fitz, ready to test this new theory. To his amusement, Renalie nodded happily and smile from ear to ear. "Of course! It's a wonderful adventure that I'm glad to take part in," she replied. From her application, he had seen that Renalie did, in fact, like adventure. She spoke no less than seven languages and was an experienced traveler, along with being a focused researcher who cared about her work. Fitz felt like he would have a good relationship with Renalie, but there was something about being near her that he couldn't put his finger on.

"I'm happy to hear that, Lady Renalie. I'll enjoy speaking to you in the coming weeks," he said. Renalie smiled at him, her eyes wide and glittering. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress and moved away towards another girl, one with chocolate brown hair and a large grin on her face. Renalie waved back at Fitz. He was a little perplexed at her manner of leaving, but she must have wanted to talk to Averian, the girl with brown hair.

His eyes darted around the room in an attempt to find someone to talk to next. In doing so, he spotted the notorious Katelin Flores-Lee, the girl Luke seemed to be so afraid of and a regular inhabitant of the palace before the selection, talking in a corner with two other girls. He noticed that Luke was standing quite a long distance from them with occasional glances back at them every few seconds. Fitz was surprised to see that he couldn't put a name on one of the girls in the group.

Before he was able to think about this for any longer, a girl with blonde hair came towards him. She wore a deep blue dress and had her hair down, flowing out behind her as she moved in his general direction, passing by other girls that were ambling around nonchalantly.

"Hi, your highness! I've been waiting for awhile to use that one," said the blonde girl, a happy, light giggle escaping her lips. Fitz had to admit that he found that amusing, but was bewildered by the fact by someone starting a conversation with a pun would talk to him and not Sam. Sam was infamous for his puns, to the point that everyone had a special groan for when he made one.

Since a large percentage of the girls seemed to have blonde hair and blue eyes, identifying her was no easy task. He could rule out all the girls in the previous groups, and could rule out both Elizabeth Morey and Sterling Everett because she didn't have Sterling's wavy hair or Elizabeth's petite build, meaning that this had to be Alexis Kingsley.

Alexis was one of the few scattered fours in the selection. She was from the province of Waverly, and worked as a pastry chef and baker for her mother's business. She had appeared to be nice enough in her section in the binder, with a strong imagination and a good high school transcript, graduating before the selection and working fulltime in the bakery. Fitz had given special attention to the fours because of their limited number, and slightly because he was bored and needed something to memorize to keep him awake and functioning.

"Hello, Lady Alexis," replied Fitz, glad to see Alexis's smile when he said her name. She quickly tucked pieces of her hair that had began to fall over her face back behind her head, securing them behind her ears and over the back of her deep blue gown. He knew from the memorized facts that Alexis was 5'6', and that let him know that she wasn't wearing heels underneath. "How are you finding the palace so far?" he asked, curious to what her answer might be.

"This room is even bigger than our whole bakery back home! I'm guessing the kitchens here are gigantic, just due to the amount of staff I've seen in my short time here. It'll be amazing to stay here, at least for awhile," Alexis accented her answer with another one of her smile and some waving hand motions. Fitz made a note to try and show her the kitchens sometime, because they were as large as she thought they would be. The palace also got food from the local stores and bakeries around Angeles, but the kitchens were still a place of activity.

"Did you know that we have a chief potato peeler? You're quite correct in thinking that they're big," responded Fitz. Sam had been on the floor laughing when he went to pillage food from the kitchens the first time and had been chased away by the very intimidating man who's sole job was to make sure the palace's potatoes were peeled the right way. Alexis laughed, nodding her head, and he could tell that she was envisioning that in her head.

"I'm not surprised. The palace kitchens are a legend in the food world!" Alexis exclaimed, "It's also a big honor to prepare food for the royal family. The strawberry tarts are known across the world as being the best," Fitz have to give her credit for that one. Ever since his father's selection, the strawberry tarts had become a specialty of the palace chefs and were in high demand. He'd heard that they were sold in an Angeles gift shop for a considerable sum of money after the selection had made them popular and the chefs had seized the opportunity for more income.

"They are delicious. Thank you for talking with me, Lady Alexis," said Fitz. "The pleasure was all mine, your highness," replied Alexis, brushing her hair back behind her ears in annoyance with it as she gave him a last smile. Fitz suddenly noticed she wore contact lenses. He expected to see her with glasses on their next meeting, and for Alexis to make a joke about it.

Overall, Fitz felt like the conversations with Renalie and Alexis had been enjoyable. The third group of girls was smaller than the second by a lot, and had a few less in number than the first. Jadie was intent on getting them through the day as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Currently, she was watching her daughter from across the room, most likely making sure she wasn't turning into a vicious blood-consuming creature of the night or strangling someone using a hair ribbon as a garrote. He'd talked to Jadie about Katelin before and she had said that both had been used as threats.

Nearby, a group of girls seemed to be forming around one of their comrades. By the flash of blonde hair that he saw in the middle, Fitz realized that he may have to be the one to save Sterling Everett from being trampled by Alexis, Averian, Ianthe, Renalie, and Cila. He strode over to the group and watched as the four girls quickly parted before him so he could see Sterling, who looked slightly flustered and annoyed. Sterling noticed him and breathed a very obvious sigh of relief.

"Sorry, ladies, but I'd like to talk to Lady Sterling for a few minutes," announced Fitz, guiding Sterling out of the cluster of girls and to an empty area where no other girls were nearby to form another horde around the niece of the late America Singer. Sterling was dressed in gray, a color that wasn't as popular among the gowns of the other girls, and had her hair up in a bun with small tendrils of wavy hair falling down from it. Her eyes were a bright blue, the same as her mother's and her aunt's. It was no surprise that the horde was able to find Sterling so soon.

"Thank you, your highness," said Sterling, looking up at him with a relived expression on her face. She was more serious than the others, which Fitz liked, and he was interested to see where this conversation would go. Sterling glanced back down at her shoes, one of which was falling off her feet, and bent down to fix them. She nearly fell over. Fitz hastily grabbed her arm to keep her from doing so, at which Sterling startled and stood straight up again.

"Are you okay, Lady Sterling?" he asked, a concerned expression forming on his face. Sterling nodded and fixed her shoe again, this time succeeding, then stood up and faced Fitz. Her blue eyes were very pretty, even though they were slightly intimidating.

"Yes, thanks again. My shoe started to fall off during the escape, but it's on now," she replied, glancing back at the group that was now dispersing and milling around the room with no clear purpose. Cila had began talking to Sam, with Averian watching close behind her, while the others were on their own. Fitz looked down at his own shoes, shinning loafers that were still polished to perfection after walking around on them all day.

"They didn't say anything overtly rude, did they?" asked Fitz, worried that she might have been offended by someone's tactless questions about her aunt or her personal life. "I send Jadie to talk to them if they did," he continued. He thought that the way Sterling looked back at them might have meant she was enraged at someone, and knew that Jadie could solve any dispute between the girls in an instance.

Sterling shook her head. "No, they didn't say anything. It's fine, really, you don't need to get Jadie involved in this," she said, peering over at where the women was standing with her ever-present clipboard firmly in her hands. Fitz nodded, though he wasn't sure he believed that no one had offended Sterling, and figured that the best way not to get Jadie involved was to move on to another girl. He was sure she'd swoop in if it happened again.

"If you say so, Lady Sterling. Have a good day," he said. Sterling gave him a half-smile and retraced her steps back to where she had been before he had rescued her from the large horde of girls that had collected around her. Fitz wasn't sure if this was the most intelligent course of action, but it would do for the time being. He made sure that no one was going back to her before trying to find someone else to talk to.

Surprisingly, that person came to him. It was Elizabeth Morey, the novelist from Allens who had been over with Katelin and the other girl. She was practically running across the room towards Jadie when she collided with him, punctuating it with a massive sneeze that nearly blew her backwards and stained a most alarming shade of red. She realized who she had run into and jumped, her eyes widening.

"Tangerines! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't get blood on you, did I?" Elizabeth frantically folded up her tissue and withdrew another one from a cleverly hidden pocket in her dress before sneezing again. Fitz's eyebrows rose on the word blood, and stepped back when he realized that she had just sneezed some of it out. Elizabeth's face took on a worried expression and she nervously twisted her left pinkie finger.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do anything, It's just that I get nose bleeds so often and then I get colds and sneeze too hard and the capillaries burst and there's blood and you really didn't need to know that, did you?" exclaimed Elizabeth, blinking up at him with an even more panicked expression on her face. Fitz shook his head while he inspected her statement to see if it was scientifically sound. Unfortunately, it was, and now Fitz understood why Katelin had merged Elizabeth into her group. There was nothing more intimidating than a tiny blonde girl who talked fast and sneezed blood.

"Thank you for letting me know, but where are you going?" asked Fitz. Elizabeth, instead of answering, pointed at Jadie. "More tissues?" Elizabeth nodded again. "Also, this room doesn't have a trash can," she replied, patting another hidden pocket that held the soiled tissues in it. Fitz made a mental to always check any article of clothing to make sure it didn't have any blood on it.

Without another word, Elizabeth went running past him to speak to Jadie. Fitz watched her go with a perplexed expression on his face. He didn't think that the third group of girls would turn out to be this interesting.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Clarifying the note last chapter, I just need to see who is still paying attention to the story. Don't just review if you haven't done so since February. I wrote this quicker than I did the last few because, once again, I want to be done with these chapters. Thank you tot everyone who has kept up with the story during this rather boring set of chapters.**


	22. Meeting the Princes, Part Eight

**Prince Sam's POV**

After a quick turn around after the second group, Jadie brought the boys right back up to the great oak doors and giving Sam a level glare that told him not to do anything whatsoever. He rolled his eyes in reply and followed his brothers into the room.

Walking into the room was beginning to be extremely boring for Sam, as things that he did more than once in a time shorter than a week usually were. He thought that his original hamster ball idea from the first shift would make things more interesting and would also provide some entertainment in the form of Jadie's head coming off. Now, that was something he would pay to see, though the current color of light evergreen that Luke was turning proved to be something he was definitely enjoying. The last time he had seen someone that green had been after a prank involving a bucket and a paint store. Those had been good times.

It would have been better if it hadn't been because Luke was so scared of Katelin, since Sam was also pretty darn terrified by her after the incident only a few months before, and the fact that they would be in a public place probably wouldn't stop her from ripping his head off. He would hate to see what would happen if she met Abrielle, the girl he had figured out as being the one who had made the middle triplet so excited for tomorrow, predicting that the level of bloodshed would leave the palace staff busy for a couple weeks.

He'd made the assumption that Katelin had a crush on Luke, but had never seen them interact, her actions speaking for her enough. He'd originally suspected she like Fitz, but had changed his mind after, most depressingly, gaining some brains from standing near Fitz for too long. Sam needed to do something stupid, immediately, before he started using big words.

While the youngest prince of Illea didn't think very many things through, such as thinking about the consequences, he was able to think. His head was mainly filled with images and ideas for pranks, sometimes with regrets or replaying things that he had done before. The past few years had made him use his mind a little more and had made him try to do even worse, and obviously funny, things to still be himself.

Sam scratched his head as he surveyed the girls now in the room. There were a few girls that he wanted to talk to after seeing their forms and "reading" over them, and there was a long list with five whole people on it for this group, some girls marked with a large yellow highlighter star on the rumpled and torn piece of paper he had scavenged up from behind the dresser in his room. Averian, Ianthe, Cila, Willow, and maybe Sophea. Each girl had an interesting face or just seemed to be fun in general, though he wasn't positive on Sophea and couldn't find Willow anywhere in the room.

He leaned back against the wall and searched the crowd once again, unable to find all of them in one go. Averian was the closest to him. She was pretty, even though she was a full two inches taller than him, and was off in a close corner of the room looking at some random stuff that Sam had never seen before in his life, dressed in something that looked straight out of a renaissance fair. It made her stand out. He thought it was cool that she had enough courage to wear something like that, her artistic talent affecting her style to make her unique.

"Hey, Lady Averian!" Sam walked over to her with a large grin on his face. Averian jumped, startled, and looked fairly nervous when she spotted him coming her way. Sam paused for a second, letting her become less nervous, and hoped that his smile wasn't as creepy as he sometimes thought it was. Averian gave him a small smile in return and fixed part of her long, braided and flowered hairstyle that started to slip when she jumped.

"It's nice to meet you, your highness. I'm sorry I was surprised, I was just looking at this picture and was quite shocked by your arrival, She laughed, still sounding nervous, pointing at the picture she'd been viewing. Sam did the same when he saw the bright bolt of lightning that was in the middle of the painting. Averian had probably been admiring it because of her job.

"That's awesome," replied Sam, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket. Hearing this, Averian nodded and stood a little straighter. Now she definitely was taller than him, making him feel frustrated at his size, her eyes swirling with different color and focused on him.

"I try!" Averian said. She was twitching a little, another thing that made Sam feel uncomfortable. If she suddenly fell over and had a seizure on the floor he would have been completely useless and would have only been able to stand their and watch.

He really wasn't used to worrying, and blamed it on the long exposure to Fitz and his stupid intelligence. To Sam, worrying was something that had been created to keep him from doing something that could be fun and something that kept other people from being fun. What was the point in doing anything when all the person would do was overthink it? It took the fun out of basically everything.

That philosophy in life explained why Jadie was such a boring person. Averian, who was still standing looking nervous as he pondered the concept, was someone who could be interesting and a good conversation partner once she wasn't so nervous. Thinking about this made Sam realize that he was a hypocrite and that he was worrying and thinking at the same time.

"Sorry, Lady Averian. All this time with my brothers has made me a little worn out," he said, putting an even more encouraging smile on his face. Averian shrugged in reply and craned her neck over to see where Fitz and Luke were talking to other girls. "So, what do you like to do for fun?" Sam thought that this question was brilliant as he really didn't know what any of these girls liked to do, and he wanted to know Averian a bit more. She thought about it for a moment, then smiled back.

"I like to read, dance, and hang out with my friends. They're all awesome," Averian replied. She had a less nervous, happier expression on and was looking at Sam with interest. He nodded in return. Scratch that, she did still look nervous. He thought that she must have gotten better at hiding it in the four minutes they had been talking.

"That's cool. I'll hear about them later, I suppose," Sam was now ready to find someone else to talk to. She looked like she knew he was going to be leaving soon, and her face had turned into a neutral expression, her mouth a straight line across it. "It was good talking to you!" he said, grinning at Averian and taking a step back.

She was someone who was probably more talkative and friendly when she wasn't meeting someone for the first time. Sam had met a girl one time who was like that, practically shaking at their first meeting and being totally awesome as he got to know her more. He wasn't sure where she had ended up, whether she was still somewhere out in Angeles or fi she was even alive, but he had thought she was a wonderful person. Maybe Averian would be one, too.

"Thank you, Prince Sam," responded Averian, putting a loose piece of hair behind her ear and giving him an anxious, but relived, smile. As soon as he started to move away, Averian turned back to the lightning painting she had been viewing before Sam had come over.

One girl down, four more to go. Even with number of girls in the group, many of the girls were alone, some wandering around looking for someone to talk to instead of standing quietly. One of these girls was Cila Naoumov, the live theater actress from Honduragua that had appeared to be someone Sam might want to talk to.

It was easy to find where Cila was, her shimmery blue dress fanning out behind her as she moved around. A wide smile was plastered on her face and she seemed to like walking the patterns he was around the room, sometimes stopping and chatting with another girl before she began walking again. She very noticeably stayed clear of the small squad including Katelin, along with a girl who he couldn't remember seeing in the lottery with a dark dress and piercings, Elizabeth Morey not far off though Sam had no clue why she would hang with them.

Cila began to make a loop back around towards where he was. Sam started to walk forward a few steps, seeing the bright blue shape coming near him, and gave her a quick wave. Cila's face lit up and she grinned back.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him with her dress floofing out behind her in her fast walk to get to him. Cila's curls were clipped up and bounced a bit as she moved, a few hanging loose and falling down to meet her dress, making her even more noticeable. Sam was beginning to notice a pattern in the girls he'd chosen to talk to.

"Hi, Lady Cila. Your dress is pretty cool," He said. Cila clapped her hands together in excitement, then gave a little twirl that made her dress poof out around her. Sam clapped, causing Cila to do a small curtsey, and the two both laughed at the same time. She pretended to blow kisses to an imaginary audience before snapping back into a straight standing position. "Bravo!" exclaimed Sam.

"I can see why you chose to be a live theater actress," he remarked, watching Cila fluff the blue chiffon back out again after it had been displaced by the twirl and curtesy.

She threw her head back in a laugh and then sprang back. "Yes, it's obvious. Same as I can tell you're a prince!" Cila replied. Sam made a face, but before he realized that she had a slight European accent. He blinked at her in confusion. This probably meant he had forgotten to actually read her form and had just looked at the pictures, a mistake that he made quite often when presented with something that had both.

Cila noticed his confusion and her green eyes flickered over him, appearing to be perplexed why he wouldn't already know this. "I'm Croatian, your highness. You know, country in Europe, near Hungry, wraps around Bosnia and Herzegovina? We moved here when I was nine! There was a war, it's actually still happening, and we needed to be safe. I really love Illea!" she said, gesticulating to add extra enthusiasm to her words.

"Yeah, that Crotiainia country. Very bad war, yes, er, just terrible," Sam quickly replied.

Honestly, he had no idea where Croatia was, or even if it was a country at all. He'd heard of Hungry, it being an awesome subject for country puns, but the countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina? He couldn't even pronounce the name of the last one. If there was a war going on somewhere, it had most likely been mentioned in some meeting or other, while Sam was secretly scrolling through his social media and taking selfies under the table instead of paying attention. If she had been nine, though, that might have meant he would have been running around in the castle's passages during it.

"You don't know where that is, do you? I wouldn't have thought that a prince of Illea wouldn't have know about Croatia!" exclaimed Cila, a very shocked expression that would be more suitable for the betrayal of a best friend than this situation. Ah, the curse of an actor.

"I know about it!" protested Sam. Cila gave him a look suggesting that she really didn't believe him on that one. He shrugged at her, giving her a sorry smile while she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Geography lesson, Prince Sam! First, a wide edge borders the Mediterranean sea, though technically the Adriatic Sea, which touches the Mediterranean. It also wraps around another country, Bosnia and Herzegovina! It's one country, in case you're confused. The capital is Zagreb!" Cila excitedly launched into an explanation, causing Sam to shake his head and be completely confuse

"I'm sure I can find some maps to show you later," said Cila. He nodded, but knew he'd end up forgetting about it entirely and being ambushed by the very energetic girl some day in the near future.

"I'll try to remember that. See you soon, Lady Cila!" Sam was ready to leave the conversation and get away from the headache-causing geography of the world. Cila, probably not as glad for that, still nodded and did one last twirl in her very blue dress, grinning at him in amusement at his horribleness at learning things in general. Minus the geography lesson, it had been pretty fun talking to her.

As he walked away from Cila and her hyper personality, Sam came across another girl from his list who was sitting with her legs crossed on a couch, twirling a pencil between her fingers and watching everyone move around the room. From her brown hair and the pencil she had, Sam managed to figure out that this girl was Ianthe Delacroix, one of the many novelists/writers in the selection.

He could soon tell that Ianthe was watching him more than anyone else, her light brown eyes following him as he ambled around so he could go over and talk to her in a few minutes, something she didn't know yet. She seemed to fade into the wall with her dark purple taffeta dress, a dark color just like the drapes that were hung around in places, contrasting the curtains.

Ianthe looked up at him and her pencil stopped moving when he walked over to her, a curious look on her face. It was almost as though she was studying him for one of her stories, her face slightly critical and twisted in deep thought about something he would never know, already looking too smart for Sam's tiny mind to keep up with in a conversation.

"Your tie is crooked, " said Ianthe, suddenly speaking to him. He startled before a tiny laugh escaped his lips. Sam looked down to find that this was true, but he didn't really care about that in the long run, leading him to leaving it as it was. It looked sad, but gave him a more feisty appearance, along with making him look even less like Fitz, something he always hoped for when the three had to wear matching outfits. Baby pictures were a nightmare to look at because of it.

"Hello, Lady Ianthe. Yeah, it is, thanks for pointing that out," he replied. Ianthe nodded and continued to look at him with interest, slightly scaring him. She might have been planning to dissect him and eat his brains! No, normal humans didn't do that. He'd been watching too much TV recently, he was going to start thinking that his older brother was going to be seated on the Iron Throne and ruling Westeros instead of just Illea.

"No problem. Have you ever thought of using a barrette as a tie clip? I mean, would it work?" asked Ianthe, considering her idea with a tap of her pencil to her temple. Sam had never thought about this himself. He supposed it was because he wasn't a creative person at all, except with pranks, and doing stuff like that didn't exactly appeal to him all that much.

"I guess? I don't know, actually," Sam must have looked fairly bewildered, because Ianthe laughed. He had a feeling that he would be hearing ideas that were a bit more eccentric in the future. Ianthe moved to stand up so she could join him, adjusting her skirt so it fell correctly as she pushed herself off the chair, making sure that her pencil was still tucked behind her ear where she had put it.

"I'll try it sometime, then," Ianthe muttered something about trying to find a time to wear an actual tie, and Sam felt like laughing. In his short conversation with Ianthe, he'd already found that he felt like laughing more than once. The idea, the combination of the pencil and the fancy dress, even her first remark.

"I'll hope to see it," he replied. Sam figured that he should probably get a move on, even though he hadn't talked to Ianthe for that long, and it would have been interesting to see what else she would come up with while they were in the room.

Ianthe, already immersed in her own mind by the time he was walking away, gave him a half-hearted wave as he left.

There were only a few people, two, left on Sam's list of girls he wanted to meet during the time given to the princes to interact with this group. Willow Reinhart and Sophea Vaughn, one of which he wasn't able to find within the boundaries of the room at the moment. Sophea, however, was visible in the room and Sam could see her from where he currently positioned in the room.

Sophea Vaughn was an actress, one that had been featured in a number of movies that he hadn't seen yet, and was one of the two girls from his home province of Angeles. Her hair was dyed into a caramel color, her eyebrows still in thin black lines across her forehead. Sophea's hazel eyes were framed with thick eyelashes, black and spiky, makeup tastefully done all over her face. She was wearing a coral silk dress with high heels that made her the exact same height as Sam, or at least as close as he could tell from his position farther away from her.

"Hello, Prince Sam. I hope you're having a good day," Sophea walked up to him and a coy smile lit up her face. Sam smirked in reply, though he internally groaned because he was only able to handle this when he was drunk, wanting to try a different tactic than he had with the others.

"I am, thank you, Lady Sophea," he replied, inclining his head at her and already backing away towards where Katelin's group was.

For once, he had a plan, and he was pretty sure that it was a good one. At least, better than the ones he usually came up with.

First, he would back towards the group and hopefully end up standing next to Willow. This would cause Sophea to follow him, though he was unsure on that part of it. Plans were really not his area of expertise for things other than pranks. Willow would hopefully start talking to him, and the plan required her getting annoyed with Sophea and wanting her gone. She'd summon Katelin, prepare for battle, then get Sophea to leave the area and enable him to leave a few minutes later when Jadie ended the shift. It was simple, but it depended on other people, something that Sam never liked his prank plans to include, unless they were the targets. People had a habit of being very unreliable when you most needed them.

He began backing towards the group, which now consisted only of Katelin and Willow since the blonde one was over there talking to Fitz. Sophea slowly began following him with a slightly confused, slightly confident expression on her face, striding over in her high heels with her nose pointed up towards the ceiling in a very subtle way.

"Prince Sam, where are you going?" asked Sophea, calling to him from a reasonable distance away. Sam looked behind him at Willow, who had seemed to latch on to at least part of his plan, and nudged Katelin before whispering something to her very quickly. Katelin made a face, proving that it most definitely involved Sam because of her dislike towards him.

He stepped in beside Willow, who instantly began stepping to the side so she formed a barrier between Sam and the encroaching Sophea. She began talking to Katelin, who gave Sophea a nonchalant glance of pure disinterest. Sophea stopped and looked at Katelin and Willow as if she thought they were nothing more than road barriers.

"Hello. May I ask why you've taken possession of Prince Sam?" asked Sophea, crossing her arms across her chest and tilting her head in an attempt to be eye to eye with Katelin, who was much taller than her. Willow snorted and looked down at her black painted finger nails as if the question had a very obvious answer. "He was complaining of a migraine. We're making sure he doesn't fall over and make a huge mess of things," she replied.

Sam took this as his cue to put a hand to his head and look like he was in pain. "Ow, it hurts!" he yelped. Katelin had to keep from laughing and looked at Sophea with wide, innocent eyes. "See?" she said.

"Then I'll leave you three alone. See you later, your highness," Sophea responded in a way that showed she really didn't believe he had a headache, but gave him a bright smile and a wave as she walked away towards the crowd of girls near Jadie, ready to leave at last. Katelin and Willow burst out laughing the second she was out of hearing range. Sam had to give a small smile.

"You've never had a migraine, have you? That was hilarious," giggled Willow. Katelin nodded, probably more interested in seeing him humiliated than finding his actions funny, but stayed quiet and began to edge towards where her mother and the other girls were starting to gather. Willow noticed her doing this and moved to follow.

"Hey, Lady Willow, thanks," he quickly said. Willow smiled and turned to follow Katelin back towards Jadie, her brown hair swishing down the back of her very black dress as she moved after her friend and met up with Elizabeth.


	23. Meeting the Princes, Part Nine

**Prince Luke's POV**

It was finally almost over. No more talking to girls for the first time, no more walking in behind Fitz with Sam close besides him, no more waiting in that tiny room that made him feel uncomfortable. Only a half hour or so until he could burst outside and take a quick lap around the gardens to enjoy the wonderful, fresh, hopefully clean air that he hadn't gotten to breathe in for what seemed like forever.

Even with this experience nearly over, he had a large problem that did more than make him nervous. Because the first two groups hadn't included her, and because she wasn't going to pass up a chance to see him, he was about to interact with Katelin Flores-Lee when she might be out to fatally wound any girl that he even looked at for longer than two seconds. He thought about this without any exaggeration, knowing that this girl had a wicked streak, actually scared that someone was going to be hurt, knowing that it could very well end up being him.

Luke still had no clue why he had stayed with her for so long. Two years might not have seemed like a long time, with her visits once a month and his time spent hiding in meeting that he didn't want to be at, but it had been enough for her to get attached enough to jump out a balcony to force her way into the selection. That had been the first moment he had truly been scared by her.

The three boys were already stepping into the room when he really started going over had bad this could go, and he immediately found her in the group of girls, standing with two others that he could recognize as Willow Reinhart and Elizabeth Morey.

Katelin herself was standing in between them. She was leaning back on the wall and scanning the room, looking like she was already out for blood with a tiny smirk on her face as she pointed out something to Willow. She was to the left of Katelin, but looked like a different person from her application photo with many tiny ear and face piercings and heavy eyeliner, dressed all in black in a weirdly shaped dress. Elizabeth was tinier and was holding a pile of tissues, her blue eyes flickering back between the two girls next to her.

Realizing he might have wanted to move around so she didn't see him, Luke ended up standing with Jadie next to him. She looked over at Luke and motioned him closer, relaxing her clipboard.

"She's not as bad today, she'll stay away from you at the start. Believe me, I know how she acts even though I haven't gotten to be with her all that often. Prince Luke. You don't need to throw up, everything will be fine," Jadie gave him a small smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "Plus, she's busy forming an alliance with Elizabeth and Willow," she continued, nodding at Katelin's two new friends.

Luke hadn't noticed he was green! It made sense, he'd felt a little sick at the ending of the last group, but had he been walking around in front of the others looking like a frog? This was even worse than he thought. Now he was going to scare the girls away by seeming like he was going to puke on them when he opened his mouth to say hello.

"Thanks?" he said, sure to keep his mouth mostly closed. Jadie gave him a tiny head nod and brought her clipboard back up to it's usual position, already starting to walk away and check on the girls.

He was confused on why Jadie had suddenly turned into a human concerned for his health, but the green-face thing had been more worrying. Especially if Sam got wind of it. He'd been in for an awful lot of teasing if the youngest Schreave brother had anything to say about it. Luke shuddered at the mention of this, knowing that he'd been teased for days upon end for stuff not even half as bad as looking sick.

The quickest fix was to go talk to someone far away from Katelin and try not to look terrified or peer back over his shoulder every five seconds. Basically, attempt not being paranoid for the length of time he would in here. Luke twisted around to find someone in a good area of the room where he didn't have to look at Katelin at all, his eyes landing on a girl with dark red hair who stood alone.

As he made his away across the room, definitely not ducking behind columns or ducking his head because that would totally be illogical and it would make him look stupid, Luke tried to focus on Poppy's, the girl's, section in the binders to make he knew what he was getting in to.

She was a waitress from St. George, a six, one of the girls he had listed as being on the taller end of the height range. Her province was much farther north than Angeles but still on the west side of Illea. Poppy wore a dress that seemed north-ish, a periwinkle blue upon her paper-pale skin, her dark red hair in a braid that fell down her back and her bangs straight on her forehead in front.

Poppy smiled at him when he approached her, shifting her weight from one foot to the next to try and fix her dress. "Hello, your highness," she said. Her green eyes looked out at him from square-framed glasses that perched on her nose, seeming determined about something. Luke was always terrible at figuring out what other people were feeling, usually even worse with girls.

"Hello, Lady Poppy. Um, how are you?" replied Luke, nervously twisting his hands together and forcing himself not to turn around. Katelin would have been directly behind him by now. Poppy smiled back a little awkwardly and flicked her braid, which she had been fidgeting with the end of, back over her shoulders.

"I'm good, thanks. What about you?" she asked. This question made him wonder if she had noticed he was still a little sick looking or if she was just trying to exchange conversation pleasantries. Luke squinted down at his nose to see if it was green in any way, a weird movement that made him self-conscious about how the other girls in the room might have been looking at him.

"Good?" It was really sounded like more of a question than an answer, maybe the reason why Poppy's smile spread up to her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that. It's probably been a long day for you, meeting us," She said in response to his unsure reply. Luke found himself nodding in agreement with her, as it had seemed like the day had lasted longer than an eternity for him. Her green eyes were back to their normal, in-squinty look, and Poppy pushed her glasses back up her nose with a well-trained movement by one finger, still looking at him with interest.

"It really has been," Luke glanced back down at his shoes, which he knew every wrinkle and stain of by now. He laughed a little nervously in a way that might have seemed to suggest he just wanted to be done and out of the room for the day, possibly the next few decades, causing Poppy to smile again.

"Well, I've leave you to meet some of the others. I hope to see you again soon, Prince Luke," said Poppy. Luke breathed an internal sigh of relief when Poppy chose to end the conversation. It seemed like she really understood how tired he was, which was a good thing for him. He nodded and smiled back at her before looking back down at his nose again to see if his face was still green after the two minutes he hadn't looked at it.

He noticed she was leaving and called after her in a little bit of a panic. "Same to you!" he said at the retreating Poppy. She turned around and nodded happily before continuing to wherever she happened to be going.

Unfortunately, this meant he needed another girl to talk to before Katelin found him again and forced information about every single girl he had spoken with out of him by shaking him until he really did puke. Okay, he might have been slightly exaggerating with what she might do, but one never knew with Katelin. She could have been planning her attack at this very minute.

His eyes landed on Kira Hewitt, another blonde girl who was wearing a rose colored gown and her hair in braids that looped over the top of her head. The only possible problem with her was that she was the third ballerina in in the selection. Luke really wanted to avoid another mishap in that area, though it hadn't been so bad talking with Isa about it for the short conversation they'd had.

"Hello," said Kira, watching him walk over to her with her head slightly inclined. He nervously smiled in return. Luke had just seen Katelin looking his way and saying something to Willow, pointing straight at Kira. That could be problematic.

"Hi, Lady Kira," replied Luke. He subtly glanced back in Katelin's general direction and checked to make sure she wasn't on the prowl before turning his attention back on Kira, who was appearing to be a tad bit flustered. She nearly tripped over her own feet, standing still, which was something that Luke himself did quite a lot. "How have you found the palace so far?" He asked, fighting the urge to look behind him again.

"Good, but when do we get to see the garden?" Kira's reply surprised him. Luke hadn't originally thought of Kira as someone who liked the outside, being a ballet dancer, but she was from Allens, which had a pretty good climate and a whole lot of trees in parts, others filled with cities, suburbs, or farmlands. It was actually close to where the old capital of the United States was.

Allens was one of the more important provinces, with it's rich history that dated back to the times before the country predating Illea. It was the sight of a settlement that was one of the first on the entire continent. Along with it's history, Allens also eventually reached out to one of the great lakes, merging several states together into the province. He only knew all of this because he'd chosen it for a project on the provinces all three triplets had to do for their tutors about three years ago. Sam chose Angeles because he was being lazy and ended up not doing the work, while Fitz chose Paloma and did a report even larger than five of Jadie's selected binders.

"Um, I think maybe tomorrow night," he responded. Kira didn't notice how distracted he had been and smiled. Like many of the other girls, she had chosen a spot that let her see out the window onto the gardens below, and was staring out at a patch of bright cerulean flowers that were gently swaying the breeze.

Luke chose this as a perfect opportunity to turn and make sure Katelin wasn't coming towards him, freaking out when he saw that she'd moved two steps closer without Elizabeth, the one who seemed like she might have been able to keep her under control if the worst possible thing happened.

"That's good to hear. I mean, that's great. Wait, did that sound weird?" Kira blushed, tripping over her words, laughing a little at the end. He forced himself to ignore the others and smile over at Kira. Luke was relived that she seemed to be as nervous as he was in this moment, even though he knew that she proabably wouldn't be this way any time in future chats he had with her. "Sorry," said Kira, playing with an edge of her dress.

"You're fine! You're still more eloquent than I am sometimes," he replied. Luke had a flashback of him completely forgetting how to talk when he'd met the current Egyptian monarch last year, a man who was only two years older than him and had a large sense of humor. It was, needless to say, not one of the finest hours for the middle Schreave triplet in terms of meetings with foreign diplomats forming alliances with Illea.

"I don't think I believe that," said Kira, shaking her head, her braids staying unmoving on her head. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The ballet dancer, the only five out of the three, must not have been paying enough attention to him if she still thought that he wasn't usually a total mess. Her pretty sea blue eyes were the only part of her that seemed to move around.

"Just wait, you'll see," Luke anxiously laughed. A chant was starting his head, one that repeated the words _don't look behind you_ over and over again after he had heard some very familiar footsteps that set him on edge. She was coming, Katelin was coming!

His eyes disobeyed him and flickered back, seeing the girl only two yards from where he and Kira were standing, making him panic even more. If she had seen Kira, Kira might be in trouble, though Katelin probably wouldn't do anything so early in the selection or in such a public place with her mother watching. Hadn't Jadie said that she'd make sure Katelin didn't try anything? That definitely wasn't working. Jadie herself was busy talking to Ianthe Delacroix in another part of the room, tapping on her clipboard and looking slightly annoyed with her. She wasn't even looking in his direction.

"Maybe I will," said Kira, unaware of his new predicament. She smiled again, this time a bit wider, but Luke wouldn't be able to stick around for very much longer with Katelin right behind him. She smoothed out the skirt of her rose colored gown and patted her braids to make sure they were still in place, then looked back up at Luke, who was trying not to bolt.

"Sorry, have to go!" he yelped. Luke instantly darted to the side, seeing that Kira's face had changed into an expression of bewilderment, and glanced over his shoulder to see Katelin talking with Willow a few feet away like she wasn't about to corner him and hold him hostage for the remainder of the shift. The red jacket with the black brocade that she wore over her beige dress made her look more like a military commander than a selected.

"Okay?" said Kira, looking around to see what might have caused his sudden escape, seeing Katelin but not connecting the dots together. Honestly, wasn't Katelin intimidating enough for her to notice? Luke knew he'd have to add her to the list of people to apologize to once this was over. Cosette was occupying the number one spot at the moment.

After darting to the side, he located a column not far from where he was, a perfect place to catch his breath and wait for Katelin to move somewhere else, or for Jadie to look over and save him. It only took a quick leap over and a weird air-jump-roll for him to be in position. Nearby, a girl with dark hair and a blue dress was standing by herself, having not noticed him yet, but she had noticed Katelin, who had unfortunately decided not to be hindered by Kira and to go in the same direction that Luke himself had.

However, his position was compromised when he accidently slipped on the polished floor and nearly took a curtain down with him. Neaera jumped. She turned around and saw him, then instantly walked over to him and helped him up with a slender hand and a gentle smile. Luke managed not only to slip back on to the floor again but to also do it in a very uncomfortable position.

"Oops. Sorry, Lady Neaera," he said, accepting her hand and pulling himself up so he could stand and not have another accident. He peered around the column, which was protecting the two from Katelin, and Neaera stuck her head out after him.

Jadie had finally noticed that Katelin was over in the area of the room she had last seen him in, and had come over to talk to both her and Willow about something he couldn't here from where the two were now. She eventually lead Katelin away, out of the room and into the hallway where he and Neaera couldn't see her, but Willow still remained standing alone. She saw Luke, but shook her head and went off to find Elizabeth.

"It's fine, Prince Luke," replied Neaera once they had stepped out from behind the column. She wobbled in her blue heels, about to do the same think Luke had done just minutes earlier, and he reached out to steady her.

"Thanks. These heels are going to be the death of me," she said. Neaera carefully reached down to fix the hem of her light, flowing pale blue dress so that she wouldn't trip on it, then smiled up at Luke. "I'll try not to fall again," Neaera referenced his earlier mishap and he felt the need to grin. It had been kind of funny, him continuously falling down on his behind and being unable to get back up.

"I think I'm the one we have to worry about the most. I can't imagine how badly I'd fare in those shoes," he replied, laughing a little. The mental image of him in her shoes made both of them giggle. He'd probably end up falling and taking out the entire room with a domino effect thing. At least Luke didn't have any reason to wear them, ever.

"That's probably right," said Neaera. She looked down at her own heels and put a hand against the wall to make sure there wasn't even a chance of her wobbling again and falling over.

Luke saw that Jadie had entered the room again, though without Katelin, and was starting to usher the girls back near the door so they could finally leave. Both of Katelin's accomplices were standing near her and didn't seem to be concerned that she had left the room in an unprecedented way. Neaera saw this too, but made no move to leave yet, checking the sole clock that had been put in a part of the room that made it hard to see from most areas except where the two were now.

"Er, well, I'll see you soon?" Said Luke, knowing that Jadie would be swooping down soon to take Neaera away. In the short time he'd know Neaera, he hadn't really figured out much about her, but he'd liked her. That was a start, hopefully to something that lead to him knowing her a little more.

"Only if you want to," she replied. Luke had to laugh at that, and nodded. Neaera turned to leave, carefully putting one front in front of the other so the heels would cause her to topple over like she had almost done and he had actually done. She turned back at him and waved, the sleeve of her dress following out as she raised her arm up to do so.

"Bye!" called Luke. Neaera smiled once more then made her way over to Jadie without any incident. He stood in place while the girls left the room, along with Jadie, and walked over to where both Sam and Fitz were standing.

Fitz seemed to be in much better shape than Luke or Sam, checking his watch and making sure that Jadie wasn't coming back through the doors. He had a slight, serious smile on his face that told Luke he'd actually been successful with some of his conversation. His suit was unrumpled and still in perfect shape, even his hair sticking up at the exact same angle it had all day.

Sam, on the other hand, was grinning and shaking his head. His suit was a little more rumpled, his tie completely undone and him making no effort whatsoever to fix it. Fitz shook his head at the youngest triplet and caused Sam to roll his eyes in return, smirking just a little bit. Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and returned to his stance of examining his shoes.

"So, what's next?" asked Sam, scratching the back of his head and messing up his hair. It stuck up in all directions and only improved his look of being a scoundrel and prankster. If Luke tried to do that, he'd just end up looking like an idiot.

Fitz shrugged. "Jadie told me she's going to explain the complex logistics and roles of the girls for the upcoming Singer Center performance after she gives them time to unwind, possibly before dinner," he said, as if they should already know this," It may be too early for this, in my opinion, but father planned the performance so that they have two weeks from tomorrow to rehearse and another two days for dress rehearsals. It's in the middle of August, as you know, and it's late July currently," He looked at the two with solemn seriousness.

"Well, I'm going to go take a nap. All of this interviewing has worn me out," yawned Sam, Fitz sighing in disapproval. "Luke, didn't you have something you might want to tell us? About a certain Abrielle Crossdale?" Sam grinned.

Luke groaned, unsure how Sam had managed to find about his date already. "Yes. I'm going to play volleyball and eat lunch with her tomorrow. It's a date, as you already know, so don't try to sabotage it!" he knew that Sam might have already had plans, but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"Relax, dude, it's fine," replied Sam, looking over at the now disinterested Fitz. "I'm surprised that you're the first one to ask a girl out," Sam said.

Luke shook his head and the three of them walked out of the room.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The meeting the princes chapters are finally over! It's time to really get in to the selection, and the story will go right into preparation for the America Singer Center Performance after a few dates I've got planned and some other assorted chapters. I'm going to right an introduction chapter for that in Fitz's POV, so everyone can see how that will work and we can get everything ready for that before rehearsals start. I've been planning this aspect of the story since before most of the girls were even submitted, so this would be pretty great.**

 **Because this is a milestone for the story, and the end of the preparing for the selection, I'm going to thank a few people who've helped out so far. I'll do this after every major thing, like the performance or the Hawaii trip, because other selection SYOC authors do this and I don't want everyone to feel like I don't appreciate your commentary.**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with the story during these nine chapters that took much too long to complete, and thank everyone who has reviewed even one of these chapters:**

 **The guest who submitted Elia and Scarlett, Nightcat, ArmaduraStar7, AlliJanice, Silvertrue, Morethanjustastory, Thursdaypants13, Phanic at the Pity Party, Dangerouslyswt, Fryllabrille201, leyton4everr, Stitches 2.5, Azlea, District7axemurderer, thesparklingjewel, , and Mystical Pine Forest.**

 **Now that I've thanked everyone, I can get to writing the next chapter. Don't forget to leave a review if you like something or have constructive criticism!**


	24. Moving Forwards

**Prince Fitz's POV**

After he had walked away from his brothers after the congregation at the end of the third shift, the oldest Schreave brother found himself standing outside on the balcony of his room, looking out over the city of Angeles and what parts of the palace he could see from his side of it. The afternoon sun was hot and beat down on him with force, but Fitz had been brought up in Angeles, and he was used to the summer climate.

A faint breeze blew through. It swayed the tops of the trees and ruffled the top of Fitz's hair as he looked down at his watch, checking to see when he needed to journey downstairs to sit in the back of the room while Jadie told the girls about the upcoming performance and how they'd have to start doing things almost immediately instead of lazing around in the Women's room all day. It was close enough to the time he had wanted to leave by, and Jadie did always like it if he was punctual.

Fitz stepped off the balcony and closed the glass doors behind him, pulling the curtains tight across them to dim the light in his room. A tiny crack between them let a sliver of light through to dance upon the large blue carpet that took up most of the floor space. He swiftly crossed the room, stopping only to check his tie in the mirror, and slipped outside into the hallway.

Neither of his brothers seemed to be out and about at this time, Sam having said he would take a nap, Luke probably down in the gardens running laps, leaving Fitz to amble down the spacious hallway in peace, nodding politely to the few maids and staff members he came across.

He made his way down the staircase at the end of the hall with a profound lack of a need to go faster. It was enjoyable, not having to rush places after someone made some mistake or an urgent issue popped up, and Fitz was the type to savor it while it lasted. The end of the stairway came too soon and he walked back out into a more busy wing of the palace. A group of maids were dusting the various tables and chairs that had made their homes in the hallway, chatting among themselves or with the window-washers who were working on the inside today. They all stopped and waited for Fitz to pass before continuing on.

As he walked through a plethora of hallways and corridors to get to where the briefing was being held, Fitz found himself passing by the Women's Room, a place that wouldn't see very much action if Jadie had anything to say about it. She was already getting the girls prepared for a major selection event that would take up time, and it was only their first day at the palace.

"Your highness! I'm glad you came early, I'm starting it a few minutes ahead because your brothers aren't going to show up," called out Jadie, spotting him from a few doors down. She had changed into a white blouse and neon pink skirt, along with shifting to a clipboard with a large pink bow on the clip.

She walked up to him and accompanied him down to the room, letting him walk through the door first. The girls were still in their dresses from the interviews. A few politely acknowledged him and others even waved, but many kept conversing with others in hushed voices. They all fell silent when Jadie walked back through the door, many pairs of eyes following her as she made her way to the front of the room to stand next to a large projector screen.

Jadie cleared her throat and waited for the girls to be silent. Seeing that now would be a good time to sit, Fitz found a chair separate from the rows the girls were sitting in and sat in the very back of the room.

The projector came to life with a mechanical noise, the title slide of a digital slideshow popping up onto the screen at the front of the room, the words "America Singer Center for the Arts Performance and Festival Celebration" in bolded black letters in the middle for everyone to see. The neon-skirted planner grabbed a thin stick and tapped the words with it.

"Is everyone settled? Good. Now, as some of you may know, my name is Jadie Flores-Lee, and I'm the official planner and teacher for the selection. You'll be seeing a lot of me during your time here. You're here today to hear about your first task as members of the selection, the first out of many things you have to do during your time here to be well-rounded citizens and a productive work force for the palace," she said, clicking to the next slide.

"The first task is participating in the America Singer Center for the Arts Performance and Festival Celebration, the grand opening ceremony of the newest addition to Angeles's developed arts culture. Everyone will do dances on the main stage, play in the orchestra pit, sing in a choir, do jobs backstage, help with the pre-stage show art gallery, and do much more involving your particular set of skills and talents," The girls started whispering to each other again.

It appeared that most of the girls had finally realized that Jadie wasn't going to let them sit on their behinds and behave like little princesses during the selection, that they actually were going to do things they hadn't expected to have to do until they reached the elite and had to learn how to be a queen. It was the epitome of what Jadie was as a human being.

"Today will merely be an introduction to what positions are available, tomorrow will be when the casting lists will be posted during the evening garden party. Those of you that are fives, expect to be doing quite a lot for the performance. However, some of you will also get more work to do on stage than others, but that means you'll be helping out with other tasks necessary for success," Jadie smiled out at the girls and a table of contents slide showed up on the projector.

"We start with two weeks of regular rehearsals, starting the day after tomorrow. It is late July now, the 31st, and the performance is on the 20th of August," Fitz knew that this left four days for dress rehearsals and doing things on stage, having a mental calendar in his head.

"The majority of you will start with our dance practices. We have four jazz and hip hop caliber dances that some of you will be sorted into according to skill and talent level, and those who are doing the ballet group piece and a ballet solo will be put in the advanced and intermediate dances for this. Beginners who would like to learn get to take part in the beginners piece. Those who have skill or talent or just like dancing in general will be in our mediocre level, some getting to also participate in the intermediate dance," This was accompanied by a rapid volley of slides with complex diagrams and paragraphs of information.

"During these rehearsals, our orchestra will also have basic practices in preparation for the pieces it will perform on stage and for the background music for the ballet group dance and some of the solos. A seating test will be necessary," The slide that came up on screen showed an orchestra with a conductor on a large stage.

Fitz found himself, along with some of the girls, cringing at the mention of seating tests. He'd taken part in a private school band once in the percussion section and the seating tests had been pure torture for him and the entire band. It was without a doubt that some of these girls had played instruments while in school.

"Those trained for speaking parts and speeches will begin those practices later in the day during the end of the first week. We have a number of those parts that will be used to educate on our continent's rich history and other important matters. Some poetry readings will also take place, perhaps some original poetry from our selected?" Jadie cast a pointed glance at Chiara Garcia, who seemed to shrink in her seat.

"Along with an assortment of other on-stage performances, we'll have an acrobatic and gymnastics piece that I've already chosen the participants for. You'll see it on the cast list," This time, Jadie looked at a variety of different girls, some who had unfortunately put that type of thing in their special skills part of their application, others who had received awards in that category that she'd managed to dig up out of old records.

"I believe a musical theatre compilation is also in the works," Both Cila Naoumov and Scarlet Bronzine looked elated. The two seemed to have formed a bond already, though Scarlet appeared like she looked up to Cila, and the pair was seated next to each other exchanging quiet whispers.

Jadie cleared her throat again and surveyed the room. "Those who would like to discuss possible roles and casting, feel free to speak with me once the presentation is over. Before we get to that, however, we need to discuss why we're doing the performance," Fitz tilted his head with interest, curious as to what Jadie would say to the girls on this subject.

"As many of you know, the last selection ended in tragedy, with one of the two girls left at the very end killed in a rebel attack. Lady America Singer was a spirited five from Carolina, with hair to match her fiery ways, a musician who was incredibly good at what she did. King Maxon was distraught after her death, comforted only by Queen Kriss, and searched for a way to honor her memory in a way that it would last long after he was gone,"

The slide show went black and the room developed an eerie stillness to it. He could faintly see the girls trying not to turn and look at Sterling Everett, niece of America Singer, some of them failing.

"He found the perfect solution in an old history book. In the United States of America, in the capital of Washington D.C., a performing arts center had been named after an assassinated president by the name of John F. Kennedy. It had vanished shortly after the war with China, where Illea became a country, but our king was able to find some building plans and base the basic layout after it," Said Jadie, looking down at notes on her clipboard to make sure she was staying on track.

"It took nearly two decades to finish everything, the building, the planning, and everything in between. Now, with another selection starting, this would be the perfect opportunity for a grand opening like no other. Any questions?" The speech ended in such a normal way that Fitz felt like laughing. Obviously, no one had any questions, and Jadie smiled once more.

"Wonderful. You're free to return to your rooms, but please come see me if you have anything you'd like to ask about the casting," said Jadie.

Two or three of the girls left the room, drifting back towards their rooms and hopefully not getting lost, but the majority stood up and formed a long line that snaked around the room. Most of the girls must have wanted to make sure they weren't stuck in something the couldn't do, others wanting to ask for a particular spot in something. Fitz stood up, looking to Jadie to see if she needed any help, and began to walk towards the door when she shook her head.

The hallway outside of the briefing room was almost empty, but Fitz noticed a navy-suited figure turning the corner towards where the main entrance to the gardens was. It must have been Luke. Sam was more likely to have been creating mischief or dawdling on his phone for a few useless hours in which nothing productive would get done except the rotting of his brain cells.

Fitz hurried after Luke, catching up to him just as he reached the garden door. "Fitz? What are you doing here?" asked Luke, looking puzzled, still opening the doors to the gardens with Fitz walking out next to him.

"I could ask the same to you," replied Fitz. One of the guards currently on duty near the garden wall waved to Luke, who immediately waved back. For some reason unknown to Fitz, Luke had always found it easier to make friends in the garden, even when he was just outside of the palace doors and was ready to go back inside. Fitz found that he had the opposite effects sometimes.

"I'm preparing for the volleyball game tomorrow," Luke looked down at his shoes and had an ashamed smile on his face. "I was worried that the court wouldn't be ready, and wanted to check in with the gardeners," he said. Fitz shook his head and looked over at where a small court was being made.

Fitz smiled gently at his younger brother. "Don't worry, Luke. Everything will be fine. You've already done better than I have, made more progress in general. It will go perfectly," he told him, knowing that Luke would certainly thrive in his favorite environment. It had truly been a stroke of genius, deciding to play volleyball with Abrielle outside.

"Really? Everyone seems to love you," Luke replied, kicking a stray rock as the brothers moved towards the new court. Fitz shook his head again, pointing to the guards and gardeners as an example. "They all like you. I've barely gotten a chance to talk to them, while you know everyone's name and whether they enjoy summer or winter better. I'd think that they certainly think you're better than I am," he said. Luke nodded, but was still focused on the path.

A gardener came up to them, still holding a trowel, and grinned at Luke. "Hello, your highness! The court is almost done, and we've made plans with a few of the kitchen staff for your lunch. Everyone's excited about your first date," said the gardener, gesturing to the others as he did so. Luke looked up at him and smiled.

"Hi, Paul. How's Marjorie doing? Did the baby come okay?" asked Luke, obviously knowing the gardener well if he knew about his family life. The gardener nodded and took off the green sun hat he wore over his dark brown hair, holding it behind his back and squinting up at a window that Fitz had to turn to see.

"They're doing great! It was quick and easy, and my new daughter is perfect. You'll have to come see her sometimes! We decided to name her Lorelai, after my mother," replied Paul. Fitz saw a caramel-haired women holding a bundle of blankets waving down at Paul and Luke, probably Marjorie and the new baby Lorelai. This was a prime example of why Luke was a favorite of many of the palace staff.

"That's wonderful, Paul. Lorelai is a really pretty name! Tell Marjorie that I'll send her some gifts for her and the baby," said Luke. Paul laughed, a deep booming sound, and thanked Luke profusely. "I will, your highness! Goodbye, your highnesses," Paul stuck his hat back on his head and bowed to the both of them before going back inside the palace, possibly to see his daughter.

"Okay, I guess you're right," said Luke, practically beaming over at Fitz. He nodded in return, then left Luke to make sure his volleyball court was perfect. Back inside the palace, Fitz immediately headed to the closest set of stairs so he could go see if Jadie was done with the long line of girls she'd been with when he'd left her almost fifteen minutes ago.

A few stragglers remained in the room, Jadie talking with a group of the ballerinas, and Fitz strode over to see what was going on. They didn't seem to be angry at anything, but were still talking to Jadie in apparent confusion. Isa Johnson noticed Fitz and said something to Jadie, to turned and waved him over with a large smile and a glance down at her clipboard.

"Prince Fitz! I'm glad to see you came back. I was just telling these three about their schedule, and they wanted to know if any of the triplets would be attending any rehearsals," said Jadie, nearly whacking Adalacia in the head with her non-clipboard arm. "I told them that Luke and Sam most definitely would, but I was unsure about whether you could go to any or not,"

Fitz considered his own schedule for a second. His father had left him more than enough time for this type of thing, almost clearing his agenda of any meetings, and it would be an opportunity to see which girl he might want to take on a date. The wide range of dances would also let him see how the girls interacted. It was worth a try, even though it might turn out to be tedious in the long run.

"I'll try, Jadie. I will have to cycle through them, of course," he replied, much to Jadie's delight. She dismissed the circle of ballerinas and set her clipboard down on a nearby table with the carefulness of setting down a newborn baby in a basinet.

"Thank you, Prince Fitz, " she said, then picked up her clipboard and walked out of the room, leaving Fitz fairly confused.

* * *

 **Author's Note: If you submitted a character, check out my profile to see what they'll be doing for the performance! I'm going to have to update and change things around often, and I haven't put all of the back stage and art gallery stuff up, but some things are already there. I decided to put that up today instead of when the chapter where the girls actually hear the casting comes out, just so we could clear any issues beforehand. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to leave a review if you liked something or have constructive criticism! (Also, can someone please explain who the guests are that didn't submit characters? I've been a little confused on that,)**


	25. Evil Trees and Pleasant Conversations

**Prince Sam's POV**

To Sam, one of the greatest joys in life was sleeping. Nothing, except maybe watching someone get pranked, was as good a way to spend his time. This obviously came with one problem. Jadie's relentless schedule would never let him stay in bed for an entire day.

"You want me to do what now?" asked Sam, scowling at Jadie as she calmly interrupted his breakfast of waffles and fruit. The women had come in only a few minutes earlier, greeting his parents with a smile and happily saying goodbye to them when they left for an early morning meeting, her neon pink skirt too bright for a time before high noon. She had proceeded to hand all three of the triplets thin packets with tiny, dense writing typed neatly all over them.

Jadie shook her head in exasperation and motioned for Fitz and Luke, who were both almost out the door, to continue on their way. "Help with the decorations for tonight. All you have to do is help string up a few lights, push a few tables around. It's not that hard," she said. Luke sent a last glance back at Sam before leaving, probably going to get ready for his date.

"But what about Luke's date? He'll be using the garden!" protested Sam. Jadie shook her head and gave him a small smile. "The volleyball court isn't going to be near where tonight's starlit garden party is," She replied, cutting off his only method of escape.

Sam made a face and knew he had lost. He scarfed down the last few bites of his waffle, then pushed in his chair and grabbed the small packet that he planned on shredding as soon as Jadie was out of sight. Two guards pushed open the doors for them, letting Jadie and Sam quickly travel to the gardens through the short hallway that separated an entrance from the royal dining room.

Walking down the hallway was possibly the first time in weeks that he was able to walk next to Jadie Flores without insulting or complaining to her, something she seemed to be thankful about. The two didn't talk for the minute they were moving in, and the taller women kept glancing down at her clipboard and would sometimes take out a pen and cross something off.

"I sent a few of the selected you seemed to get along with to help you. It's not a date, so you can't use it as one, but it might help you to not be bored out of your mind while you finish the task," said Jadie, causing Sam to abruptly stop nearly a foot away from the doors.

"Really? Who?" he asked. Finally, something that didn't seem like it was a punishment taken directly from a torture chamber. Hopefully the girls would be ones that had been cool. Sam knew this was one big trick on Jadie's part to help him actually do something for once, but it might work, depending on how smart her choices had been with which girls would be helping.

"Prince Sam!" called out a familiar voice, seeing him as soon as the doors were opened. Jadie silently slipped away without him realizing. Mae, her left leg in a knee brace, came rushing over with a big smile on her face, Alette Salem and Cila Naoumov following closely behind her with similar expressions.

"Mae! Alette, Cila, it's good to see all three of you!" Sam exclaimed. This proved that Jadie was a human being who might have been more intelligent than she was usually given credit for. Three girls who each had a distinct energy about them, from Cila's intense energy and Alette's lighthearted sense of humor. Jadie had obviously seen Sam with Mae, making that a no-brainer.

"And it's just Sam. So, what are we doing first?" He asked, looking at the large pile of craft supplies and unassembled tables that were waiting nearby. Sam also noticed that the girls were dressed a it more practically.

Alette wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, her hair pulled back under a white baseball cap, looking ready to put some tables together and more like an actual human than a doll in a colorful dress. Jadie had been particularly nice in allowing the girls of this selection to wear normal clothes on occasions she deemed appropriate, if the maids went to her with the clothes they had made before the girls actually wore them. Alette stood with her arms crossed and looked over at Sam.

Cila, on the other hand, wore a jean skirt and a floppy sun hat to keep her face protected from the Angeles sun. It must have been hard for her maids to locate that. The selected girls were only allowed to wear things that the palace provided, even with Jadie being more lenient with some of the dress code, and he figured that the buyers had their hands full.

Mae was still seeming very similar to the girl he had met yesterday, wearing a cream colored blouse and a violet skirt with thin knee-height stockings in a way that would be perfectly suited for the job they had to do but not quite suited for any hard physical labor. At least the only lifting the four of them would have to do would be pushing tables into the correct places.

"Jadie said for some of us to start assembling the tables and for the others to start making the table decorations. I think Sam and I should do the tables, while Mae and Cila make the decorations," replied Alette.

Though all of the girls probably wanted to at least talk to him, Sam nodded along with the others as they started towards their projects. He knew that he shouldn't mention how horrible he was at putting things together even with a instruction manual that had pictures. Hopefully these wouldn't be the ones that came from that furniture store with roots in Swendaway, because those made his head hurt more than a lecture from Fitz did.

The first few things to open were the three tables that food would go on. Alette immediately tore open the cardboard boxes and motioned for Sam to get out the instruction manual, which was thicker than the packet of papers on Jadie's clipboard. It would have to work for all three tables, since he wasn't going to read through three different versions of this monster.

"Sam, I'm thinking that you should read me the instructions and that I should assemble the table. Does that work?" asked Alette, snapping him back from staring over at where Mae and Cila were currently putting flowers inside an old glass jar. Sam nodded. Alette grinned and flipped the manual to the right page for him and shook open the box of pieces.

"Okay. Start with connecting the A arrow to the B opening, the A arrow being on the piece called Red One and the B opening on Blue Seventy," he said. She plopped down on the ground and motioned for him to do the same, scavenging through the pile to find the right pieces and put them together.

Once she had found both of the wooden boards, Sam continued. "Locate Orange Twenty Five and connect it to Cerulean Eighty Seven. Do the same with Maroon Eleven and Burgundy Fifty Three," He was starting to get the feeling that anyone other than Alette would have already run away screaming from the not yet created table and gone as far away as possible.

"Did that. Wow, this is already coming together really well!" She said, grinning and adjusting the parts of the table to be more steady. Sam felt himself smile in return before looking to see what most of the instruction booklet was, given that it seemed to include way too much stuff that wasn't necessary to the creation of the table. It turned out to be various other ways it could be put together, some even into different things.

"It is. It says here that the last step is to connect Beige Thirty One to Ruby Ninety Four," replied Sam. Miraculously, the table became a table with the last two pieces, and Alette easily turned it upright and began to check to see if everything was going to stay in the right place. She fiddled with one of the legs before running a hand over the circular top, then proclaimed it done.

"And to the next one! That wasn't that bad, was it?" Alette laughed, fixing her baseball cap so it blocked the sun from her eyes.

"Yeah, it wasn't. I'm not sure that you even need me to help you with this," he responded. She shook her head, and he sighed, but turned back to the beginning of the instruction manual so they could put the next two tables together.

It went quickly, with Sam telling Alette instructions that she had already started to do before he had even started talking, the tables done and checked by her within twenty minutes of their completion of the first one. Across the small stretch of land where the party would be held, Mae and Cila were casually wrapping ribbon around jars and making a framed chalkboard with artsy white letters in the middle. He watched them attach a fabric flower to a corner and wave over at him and Alette.

"We discussed earlier that me and you would also do the table clothes and move the tables over to where they needed to go before you did the banners and light strings with Mae, while Cila and I worked on setting up and putting together the couches," remarked Alette, jumping to her feet and offering Sam and hand to help him up, which he gratefully took.

A few pastel colored clothes waited for them in rolls near where some of the other supplies were being held. It was easy enough for Sam to rip open the plastic packaging and hand the clothes to Alette, who draped them over the tables and used double sided tape to make they stick. She was really much more crafty than he was, but almost everyone could say that when Sam was in the equation.

Pushing the tables was a little harder, since Alette could only do one at a time and he had to at least try to move one to the correct spot. Mae and Cila were already done with their crafts and were coming over to help direct them. Sam had a feeling that this could be embarrassing.

"Left, Sam, left! No, not that left, the other left!" called Cila, trying to keep from laughing at his terrible pushing. "Move forward! In a straight line, not in a zig-zag! Okay, now back to the right, wait, wrong right!"

By the time the table was in the right place, Alette and Mae had already gotten the other one in it's spot and were coming over to laugh with him and Cila. Cila, as the one who was calling out the directions, had already started to break down in a fit of giggles over the epic fail that it had been, her floppy hat sliding over her face and almost falling off until she pushed it back up and began to laugh once more.

"I haven't laughed this much in ages! Should we start the rest?" said Mae, beaming over at Sam while the two other girls tried to compose themselves. He nodded. It took another minute for the others to calm down, and then Mae and Sam went over to grab the strands of twinkly white lights to hang in the trees that leaned over the grassy area.

"How're you feeling? Is your leg okay?" asked Sam. He wound a few strings over his left arm and turned to Mae with concern on his face. She had looped the lights over the back of her neck and was wearing them as a shawl, tucking her blonde hair back over so it wasn't in a weird position. Mae looked down at her knee brace and back at him with a small smile.

"No, no, it's fine. I only have to wear this until tomorrow, and I'm already cleared for rehearsals," she replied, taking one end of her lights and twisting it around a large tree branch before tightly knotting it and picking the free end up off of the grass.

He still felt horrible for being the one that had caused the injury, and didn't know whether she was being honest or was just saying what she thought he wanted to hear. If she was going to rehearsals, he would have to wait to make sure she was actually healed before doing anything, and they could possibly hurt her even more. Sam felt like he was a large idiot. Mae probably hated him.

"That's good. We don't _Knee-ed_ you to be hurt," he replied. Puns seemed to come easier to him when Mae was around, and her laugh made him feel a little better about his accident and possibly hurting her. Mae absentmindedly adjusted her knee wrap and started to string the lights around the tree, Sam beginning to do the same on the neighboring tree he had gone to so he could talk with her while they worked.

"Very funny," Mae told him, a bright smile on her face. She reached down to check that the mobile plug was working for the lights. The tree lit up and twinkled, the tiny lights flashing on and off in a slow rhythm. Sam quickly finished his tree, just so he could keep talking to her, and the two moved to the next pair, repeating the process as they talked.

"Just for you, milady," replied Sam. The nickname caused her to giggle and him to do another mock bow, then hoist himself up into a branch of the tree so he could sit and twine the lights through better. He looked down at Mae through the foliage. "Hello down there!" He grinned.

She waved in reply, but started to move to another tree, making him scramble to try to get down. Sam may have forgotten that he didn't usually climb trees for a very important reason, one that would now keep him from talking to Mae. He really wasn't able to get out of them. He twisted around and tried to slid down, only resulting in him slipping further down into the tree's fork between two large branches. Now Sam was really stuck.

"Ah, shit. Um, Mae?" After muttering some curses, Sam was forced to yell out to Mae, seeing that Alette and Cila had gone back inside to talk to Jadie about something that was probably less problematic than him being stuck in a tree.

She looked up at him and giggled before circling the tree to find a way to get him down without breaking anything major. "If you can use your arms to lift yourself out of the fork, like you do sometimes in a chair, and only use your arms to get yourself into a standing position, I can tell you how to get down without hurting yourself!" Mae called up to him, seeming more worried than she had a few minutes ago.

"Okay, I'll try!" Sam wriggled his arms out and put them up on the branches to try and get himself up. This would take arm strength he might not have. "And here goes nothing!" he muttered.

With a push, Sam found his behind wrenched out of it's position inside the tree fork and hovering over it, his arms supporting most of his body weight. He quickly swung his legs back and forth, trying to get them up and back so he could get into a standing position, and managed it after five tries. His arms were starting to hurt, but he didn't want to fall out of the tree, so he kept them supporting him in place. Sam's feet didn't have the best grip on tree, with his sneakers being pretty worn down, and he could feel himself slipping. "Mae!" he yelped, afraid.

"I need you to jump out and roll to the ground. Try not to hit it too hard, and don't hit your head on a branch!" replied Mae. Not concerned with how she knew this, Sam braced himself to jump and a weird feeling started to consume his stomach. He was actually very terrified.

He forced himself to jump. Sam was weightless for a second that felt like an eternity, twisting his head so he wouldn't get a concussion from a branch, and made himself curl up at the last possible second, hitting the ground and rolling like a very large, very oddly shaped, and definitely not armored armadillo with some very questionable daytime activities.

Mae was running over to him as soon as he was on the ground, lights forgotten, bending down to make sure he was okay. "Sam! Oh, I'm so sorry, you're not hurt, are you?" She asked, seeing him still curled up with his arms over his neck. Sam sat up, feeling a little bruised and embarrassed, but shook his head with an abashed grin on his face as he did so.

"Nothing hurt but my pride, and I'm a little bruised, but I'm not dead and I'm out of the tree. Thank you, milady," he replied, standing up and falling into the cursed tree that he'd been stuck in. "By the way, how on earth did you know what to do?" Sam was confused. She really didn't seem like she would have been in that position before, ever.

Mae laughed and helped him stand up. "My sister, Riley, got stuck once. We had to figure out how to get her out of it, though I improvised it a bit for this," she replied. Sam nodded, and mentally thanked whatever higher power was up their for Mae's little sister liking to climb trees and for Mae's quick thinking. Without it, he'd be either stuck in the tree or have more broken bones than he could count.

"Well, thanks. I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't be doing anything involving lights, right?" said Sam, laughing and smiling over at Mae. She had dropped her remaining string on the grass, and he had left his dangling out of the tree, but he really didn't want to try to get it and end up getting himself stuck again.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Sam's head. "Hey, Mae, do you want to go on a date in a few days? Like, bowling and food or something?" asked Sam, nervously looking over at her. It took what felt like way too long for Mae to process what she said, and when she finally did, she hesitated for longer than Sam would have liked her to do. Her face finally broke into a smile.

"Yes, I'd love to. Thank you," she replied, smiling and looking at least a little excited. Sam smiled back, relived she had said yes and hadn't made things awkward by declining. "Great!" he said, not sure what he was doing.

Jadie was being lead by Alette and Cila back outside, probably after they'd seen him get out of the tree. He turned back to Mae, and smiled. "I'll see you then, Milady!" Sam said. Mae smiled again and walked over to them.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sam is going on his first date in a few chapters! Since we've got Luke's date with Abrielle next chapter, and I want to let you see rehearsals before we do anything else, it might be a few POV rotations.**

 **I'd like to ask everyone who submitted a character to check the unfinished casting list that I've been working on that's posted on my profile. I have it mostly done, but I want to make sure everyone is okay with what their characters are doing before they see the casting lists in the chapter after the next. Some girls have much more to do than others, but I can always adjust things, and most of the backstage positions haven't been posted yet. I would also like if the girls who have solos to have songs chosen by then, just so I can get started on the choreography for rehearsals.**

 **Thanks for reading! If you liked this chapter, or have constructive critism, please leave a review! I love reading them and they sometimes help me figure out what to do with the story. (But don't actually tell me what you want to do, it just helps me see what you like)**


	26. Luke's First Date

**Prince Luke's POV**

As he turned the page of a book, sunlight streaming through the window to light up the off-white pages, Luke felt his nervousness rising. It was almost time for him to go collect Abrielle for his first ever real date with another human being, and he was more than worried that something would go wrong and ruin everything.

He had been sitting up in his room for the past hour. Breakfast had ended with Jadie coming to collect Sam for something, Luke and Fitz leaving together and parting ways shortly after they made it to the hallway where their rooms were, Luke grabbing a book on volleyball that Fitz had given him earlier to calm him and had started methodically flipping through the pages. Diagrams and words swam before his eyes. It was hard to focus when he was so nervous.

Everyone was nervous before their first date, right? It couldn't have just been Luke. Abrielle herself was probably nervous to some degree, her being the first of the selected girls to have to do this, but thinking about this made Luke feel bad for feeling more nervous than she was. This was why he couldn't just put on a brave face and quietly read the book.

"Prince Luke? Abrielle is waiting for you outside of her room," said a familiar voice. The door creaked open and Jadie peeked in, making him set down the book and scramble to cross the room so he could get to the door. Jadie shook her head as Luke nearly fell into the door in his haste to make it over.

"Sorry! Has she been waiting long?" he asked, straightening up and stepping out behind Jadie into the hallway, closing the door behind him as he moved. Luke quickly patted down his hair and hoped it wasn't sticking up at a weird angle. Instead of replying, the pink skirted women began to walk down the hallway and gave him a tiny shake of the head, do absolutely nothing to ease his fear.

Luke could tell that the few assorted staff members who were cleaning things in this hallway were watching him, some waving and him smiling back in a very unconvincing way. He could name almost all of them, but didn't have any time to stop and chat.

Jadie took a sharp right in a place where he didn't expect to turn and he had to twist to make sure he didn't whack into the fall as he started down the long staircase that was the quickest way to wherever Abrielle was waiting, probably outside of her room instead of in the women's room, given that he wasn't allowed to be in the latter. At least he had the seldom used Men's room.

After taking the stairs two at a time and still jogging down the corridor to see where Jadie was going, he finally caught up with her when she was already standing with Abrielle. The auburn haired girl was saying something to Jadie and smiling when she turned around and noticed that he had arrived mostly out of breath.

"Hello, Abrielle!" said Luke, desperately fixing his hair again after it had gotten messed up in his running. Abrielle smiled back at him. She seemed like she didn't mind his odd method of getting where she was, but Jadie sighed in exasperation and glanced down at her clipboard. Luke had mixed feelings towards that clipboard and was starting to think that she'd scheduled the rest of his life on it.

"I'll leave you two for your date," Jadie looked at both of them before turning and walking back down the hallway, most likely checking on whatever task she'd forced Sam to do for the morning.

"Hello, Luke. It's good to see you," Abrielle watched Jadie turn a corner before looking back up at Luke, make him feel instantly better when she didn't use anything overly formal. That would have made things too awkward and might have killed any hopes of this being a success.

Abrielle was wearing a short-sleeved cerulean top with a pair of slightly loose hunter green shorts that she seemed uncomfortable in, with her auburn hair tied up in a bun and her feet in tightly laced gray sneakers. She looked as though she would rather be wearing her usual clothes instead of this outfit. Abrielle tugged on the hem of her shirt and shrugged, noticing him seeming worried.

"My maids had to find something for me to wear. The rule on only wearing things the palace provides you is very problematic when you like to design your own clothes and your maids haven't figured out your style yet," explained Abrielle, glancing back at the door of her room. Luke didn't realize that the rule would have that type of impact on this selection. He'd have to talk with Jadie.

"Well, I'll let you have some time to change before lunch," He replied. Luke had said something about lunch, hadn't he? A quick glance out the window showed that the two should probably get to playing volleyball before it started to rain, during which time they could have lunch.

She blinked, but smiled. "Thank you. That sounds nice," Luke offered her his arm, unsure of what to do on a volleyball date, and she took it, letting them start to walk towards the door at the end of the hallway. He'd made sure that Paul knew the court had to be close to this side of the palace when he remembered that he would have to bring her outside.

The guards at the door respectfully nodded to the pair and opened the doors to the outside. The scene awaiting them was almost perfect, the flower beds and paths in the actual garden giving them a straight path to a volleyball court set up only a few lengths out of the garden itself, not harming it's beauty in any way. The only problem was that the sky had started to gather gray clouds and made Luke worry.

"You don't mind playing one on one, do you? I can always get some maids to help," He turned to Abrielle and then looked back at the court, already panicking that he had made a major mistake. Thankfully, she shook her head and laughed, picking up the volleyball that lay nearby and heading to the other side of the net.

The volleyball was white with a blue patch in the middle of it, some sports company logo shining in a metallic yellow color as the sunlight making it's way through the clouds flickered on it. The skies looked like they would only give the two a hour to play, maybe less, but he felt like they could at least wait for them to have a little fun. The morning had been sunny, but as it got closer to midday, the sun was giving up on them.

The hot Angeles weather didn't seem to agree with Abrielle, so the rain could help, even if they got completely soaked. Maybe the rain had chosen a good day to suddenly appear in Angeles. It had been a few weeks since the last drizzle, and it was getting quite dry.

"No, it's fine!" replied Abrielle, getting ready to serve the ball. She used an underhand serve and the ball flew over to his side of the net, Luke jumping up and setting it back over to her after his body went on autopilot and he immediately did the first volleyball thing that came to him.

The two sent it back and forth over the net for a few minutes before Luke dived the wrong wave to try to hit the ball and it soared straight into the ground, winning a point for Abrielle. He picked himself off of the court and clapped, causing her to smile back at him and motion for them to keep playing. If they had been playing with the right number of people, Abrielle's team would have rotated, but it was only her.

Luke scooped up the ball and served it back to her. It flew over the net and straight to her, Abrielle having to use her forearms to bump it up into the air before setting it back over to his side of the court. He had to hit it twice before it made it up into the air high enough, but the rules they were using for the game let him do this. It might have been easier if they had used other players, but it was too late now.

"We aren't going to play the full 25 point games or do three out of five, are we?" asked Abrielle, sending it over to him and scoring another point as she did so when he couldn't get to it in time. Luke glanced up at the skies, the clouds still gathering and getting darker, and shook his head.

"No, it's going to rain before we even finish this game. Let's just play until we have to go inside," He replied, taking a quick break and breathing before grabbing the ball again and rolling it back under the net to her. Abrielle still looked uncomfortable and not herself in the clothes her maids had put her in, but was still able to pick it up with much more grace than he could ever have done.

As they played, Luke found himself enjoying the sport much more than he usually did. She was good competition, even though she wasn't the sportiest of the girls, and was enjoying beating him almost as much as he was simply liking playing the game.

The laughter from when he fell face first onto the ground and the ball hit him in the back of the head started from him and spread to Abrielle when he got back up, causing them both to giggle as they kept playing, was something Luke thought he would remember for the rest of his life, regardless of what else happened in the selection. Moments like this could be just as important as the grand events to come, even when it was him laughing at him not being quite as good at volleyball as he thought that he actually was.

The wind slowly began to pick up as they played. The trees were swaying now, the sun no longer piercing through the clouds, and the air started to smell the way it always did before a storm. Abrielle seemed to also sense it, glancing up at the sky as she prepared to serve the ball back over the net to him, frowning slightly and checking to see if he had noticed.

"Luke, we should probably go in soon," She said, serving it over to him and keeping focused on the game. He set it back over and looked around to see that the guards had donned rain ponchos over their uniforms. That was always a fun sight, the time Sam had turned them all a Jadie-like neon pink being one of the highlights of the month a few years previously.

Luke nodded. "You're winning, anyway, and then you can change," He almost had to yell over the rising wing. The storm, as it seemed to become one, had come almost out of the blue after the sunny morning, though they had both expected rain.

Abrielle quickly picked up the ball and grabbed her water bottle, which he hadn't even noticed her bringing outside, and jogged over to him. "I'll get the maids to prepare us something to eat while you get changed," said Luke. They started to walk back inside, picking up their pace when the first raindrop hit Luke square in the nose and made him jump.

"That sounds good. You might also want to do the same, actually," replied Abrielle, making no effort to shy away from the fact that he had sweat stains and dirt all over his pale green shirt. Luke looked down and nodded. "Good idea. They've probably already started, anyway," he said.

They walked back to the door of Abrielle's room in silence. She waved to him as she disappeared through the door, then left Luke all alone in the hallway, the sound of rain and wind growing in the background from the nearby window, even though it was closed. He stood for a second before suddenly dashing down the hallway and taking the very long staircase back up to the prince's hallway.

A flash of lightning and a boom of thunder made him jump as he tore through the door of his room, the momentum causing it to slam behind him, and Luke could see that it had started pouring in the few minutes he had been in the stairwell. The maids had set up the lunch in a place where there were windows. It couldn't be horrible, though, and Abrielle hopefully wouldn't mind.

He dove into his closet and tossed a clean shirt and a pair of jeans onto his bed. It was easy to get himself out of the dirty clothes and into the clean ones, hopping around to get his socks on because he was too stubborn to sit down being the hardest part.

His sneakers were thrown to a corner of the room and a pair of clean ones were selected without thought from his closet, Luke bending down to lace them up in record time. Another flash of lightning, this one much closer to the palace, lit up his room as he reapplied deodorant and sniffed himself to make sure he didn't smell like a dead skunk that had been rotting in the woods for a few weeks.

Once his hair was patted down and Luke deemed himself presentable, he dashed right back out the door and slammed it behind him again, causing a nearby maid to jump. He waved and continued running, hoping it wouldn't make him sweaty again, and arrived back at the staircase and stared it down, unsure of how to get down it without hurting himself in his hurry.

Taking the stairs two at a time turned out to be the quickest way to tackle this problem. Luke still had to have a firm grip on the wooden banister, and would have hurt his palm if it hadn't been polished recently, but made it back down in less than a minute.

He was back outside Abrielle's door and waiting for her when she stepped outside a few minutes later. Abrielle looked surprised to see him already waiting for her, but smiled and gently closed the door behind her.

"That was fast. What did you order for lunch?" asked Abrielle, taking his offered arm as they walked with a slower pace than he had moved earlier. Truthfully, Luke had no idea what the maids had prepared, only that they said they'd make sure it would taste good, but he didn't want to tell her that.

"It's a surprise," he replied. She smiled back. "I'm glad that you were able to be so fast in getting changed. I think I saw Jadie lurking around the hallways earlier," Abrielle had already figured out about Jadie's love of punctuality, but Luke was starting to get the feeling that it was something that the girl next to him appreciated, though she didn't have a compulsive need to be on time.

"I might have used a method of transportation she wouldn't approve of," said Luke, laughing nervously, now worried that Jadie would be on his case for running through the palace. Abrielle only nodded and gave him a wider smile as they made their way down the hallway to the room where they would be eating lunch, chosen by Luke because it had wonderful natural light.

"Um, you don't mind windows, do you?" he asked as they were almost at the door. She looked confused, but shook her head, stopping next to him as the guards stationed at the door opened it. One of them mouthed a silent thank you to Luke, who smiled back, knowing he would have been outside in a rain poncho if he wasn't doing door duty for the date.

The room was circular and had tall windows on three sides, the frame of the glass designed to be flowing and elegant. A view of the forest was available, though it was still far away, and the winds seemed to magically avoid crashing into the windows of the room. The rounded ceiling formed a dome over the room. It was painted with a pattern of metallic flowers and decorated with raised and painted detailing, making it seem as though a floating golden garden was above their heads. It had to be the best room in the palace for eating lunch, and was usually known as the western conference room.

Two maids pulled out chairs for Abrielle and Luke before bringing them platters of white-crusted cucumber sandwiches and an arrangement of fresh fruit, along with cups of some fizzy drink and mugs for coffee, if they wanted any. A tray of gourmet cupcakes was also brought in, but it would be considered uncouth to eat them before the sandwiches, and Jadie was probably still lurking somewhere.

Abrielle reached for the plate of sandwiches and didn't even flinch when a blinding bolt of lightning lit up the room. Luke, however, nearly jumped and had to sit for a second before getting his own sandwich so he didn't accidently flip the table if thunder came while he was trying to get something to eat. Abrielle took a bite then laughed at his scared expression.

"How are you not jumping? That was really close!" remarked Luke, attempting to not nibble on his sandwich in front of Abrielle and mostly succeeding. She shook her head and smiled across the table at him.

"I like rain, and once you get over the noise and the light, that's all it is," She replied, one of the maids pouring her a cup of steaming coffee and the steam curling up in front of her face. Personally, Luke thought that the fact that the sky could send something down to kill everyone and then send something to make everyone deaf was a little scary, but it wouldn't be intelligent to show this aspect of his mind in front of her.

Abrielle had changed into a honey-colored knee length dress, but had left her hair up, and now had a tube-shaped locket strung around her neck. Steam from her coffee drifted up in spirals in front of her face and danced towards the ceiling, slowly fading as it drew closer and closer to the metallic flowers that graced the dome that presided over the room.

"You're much better than me at volleyball. I don't think I could ever beat you in a game," said Luke, trying to make conversation between bites of the delicious food. The final score had been something resembling twenty to two, Abrielle obviously winning, and had left him puzzled as to why a fashion designer could play a sport better than he could.

"All you need to do is practice. Use your legs to jump, and use your height to your advantage. You might also want to try to move around more than you did, you could have scored a few more points or blocked some of mine if you had tried to do that," replied Abrielle.

He liked how, instead of saying that he really wasn't that bad, she gave him advice on how to do better next time. It showed that she'd actually noticed what he was doing and knew how to correct it, and for a person used to being ignored by his parents and barely noticed by the world because of his two brothers, it was a good feeling to have someone notice anything about him at all.

"I'll try that, then. How are you finding the food?" asked Luke. He was enjoying his sandwich immensely, having wolfed it down, and was now eating some of the fresh fruit from the arrangement. The strawberries were the best, in his humble opinion, but he might have liked them because they were a fruit not often chosen for lunch in the palace and were often ignored, sort of like him.

Abrielle had just finished her sandwich, and was wiping her face with one of the cloth napkins. "It was delicious," replied Abrielle, smiling and finishing the fruit she'd put on her plate. The maids who were attending them seemed to brighten at the complement, Luke knowing that they had been the ones to make them instead of the chefs in the kitchen, who were preparing for tonight's event.

He reached for a cupcake, Abrielle doing the same, and marveled at the icing work. For someone who usually liked to eat food instead of look at it, these cupcakes were pretty enough to wait a few seconds and admire their artwork. Abrielle set hers down on her plate and made then started to eat hers, cutting of the bottom and turning it into a sandwich while Luke tackled the entire thing and took a bite.

"You just ate a sandwich, why eat another one?" remarked Luke. He was in the camp of eating cupcakes like they were made to be eaten. Abrielle shrugged and laughed before continuing her cupcake sandwich, taking small bites that let her enjoy it while he got icing all around his mouth even when he tried to eat it politely and like a normal human and not a rabid wolf.

Thanking whatever higher power existed for napkins, Luke wiped his face as the maids came and carried away what food they hadn't been able to eat. Abrielle stood up, since lunch was over, and gazed out the window at the lingering rain. It had stopped storming, but was still pouring cats and dogs outside.

As they walked out of the room, Luke smiled to himself. His first date had been a success.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Luke finally has his date with Abrielle, and it went well! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and that I did the first date of the selection justice, this being an important milestone in the story. I don't have much to say today, just that I'm finishing up the casting for the performance and I need to make sure that I get the choreography groups done. Those will be explained in the next chapter, so keep reading! If you liked this chapter, don't forget to write a review to tell me what you thought of the first date. (Also, the story reached 200 reviews, and I'm eternally grateful to everyone who wrote one so far!)**


	27. The Upcoming Storm

**Prince Fitz's POV**

For Illea's oldest prince, a garden party was the perfect opportunity to socialize and talk to the girls he hadn't been able to converse with during the meeting sessions. Fitz had told Albany and Atlantis that he would talk to them during the event, and some of the other girls who his brothers had gotten to talk to also seemed like worthy prospects, though some were also much too energetic for his tastes. The best part about this was that Jadie couldn't waste too much time because of the incoming return of the rainstorm.

She was pacing with her clipboard in hand around the perimeter of the area, scribbling things down as she walked, stopping occasionally to talk with the maids who carried plates of small nibbles for the girls to snack on if they were hungry. Jadie appeared to be worried about the storm returning. However, from his obsverations, she also seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive.

It could have been one of the girls, or even another staff member, but Fitz had more pressing things on his mind at the moment. He had a mission, and he had chosen to accept it. Also, it was finally dawning on him that he had watched too many spy movies with Luke to keep him company for once.

"Hey! Dude, give that back!" grumbled his youngest brother as Fitz swiped his beer out of his hand and passed it off to a waiting maid behind him. "Seriously. Can't you ever leave me alone?" said Sam. He looked around to check if any other sources of alcohol were available, and finding that they had all been removed by Fitz and his team of maids, rolled his eyes.

"We don't need you puking on one of the girls tomorrow when we watch rehearsals. Little brother, hungover you can be quite troublesome," replied Fitz, crossing his arms and scrutinizing Sam. It was true, Sam had a habit of puking the morning after he had consumed only small amounts of an alcoholic beverage, and his chances of ever finding a wife would be sorely impacted by any return of food.

Instead of replying, Sam skulked off to find someone else to bother, heading towards a cluster of girls that waved to him when he began to move away from Fitz. Satisfied that he would stay away from any liquids, Fitz found himself standing alone and watching the girls move throughout the scattered trees and occasional round table clothed in white cloth.

"Prince Fitz! I'm glad I found you, your mother just arrived and wants to see you," Jadie came running up and grabbed Fitz's arm. She began leading him like he was a show dog being put through it's paces over to a shaded table in a more secluded part of the party, the table occupied by four women, including his mother.

Queen Kriss wore a beautiful dress with golden embroidery over the bodice and the top of the skirt, trailing in patterns of flowers and elegant swirls. The white tulle underskirt fanned out around her as she sat with the poise of royalty in her chair. As usual, her hair was up in it's sophisticated bun, adorned with a sparkling tiara that curved upwards in the middle to a sharp point. Seeing her oldest son, she smiled.

"Fitz! Come sit, I believe you've talked with Celeste and Natalie already?" Her clear voice rang out across the distance between them. She motioned for him to sit down with an outstretched hand and had a maid pull out a chair between her and a blonde women Fitz had never seen before, possibly another old friend that was visiting the palace for some event. Maybe even a foreign dignitary.

He sat, and looked around at the three women that were all staring at him. Due to Natalie and Celeste's presence, the easiest conclusion he could make was that the blonde was another member of the selection. Fitz could eliminate a fair number of people because his mother had never interacted with them, and another smaller group because they weren't in Illea anymore, but the people who were left didn't look like she did, and the only logical person was currently mourning her son at home with her family. Or was she?

"It's a pleasure to see you again, your highness," said Celeste. The last selection's model and resident stuck-up two was wearing a red dress in a paler color than usual. It was the height of fashion, just like what she was accustomed to wearing, and her facial expression told Fitz that she still thought that she was better than everyone else in the entire palace, maybe even his mother. To him, it was quite a pity that the lapse of niceness America Singer had forced upon hadn't lasted.

"Yes! Hello, Prince Fitz," Natalie smiled and fluffed out her skirt, a pale lemon colored thing that was the fluffiest out of all the dresses, and inclined her head to look back at Celeste, who was seated next to her, with a bright smile.

"Hello, Celeste, Natalie. I hope you've had a good day so far," replied Fitz. Natalie nodded and Celeste did something that was close to a nod, while his mother looked to the blonde that was staring down at the table with an expression of nonchalant sadness. It was clear to see she had just gone through something that made her want to be alone, adding fuel to his earlier theory.

"I don't believe that you've met Marlee. Marlee, this is my oldest son, Fitz. You probably knew that," said his mother. Marlee looked up at Fitz and gave him a half smile that seemed to be all she could muster at the moment. This explained almost everything about the past few minutes that had confused him.

Marlee Woodwork, maiden name Tames, was in mourning for her oldest son. She had been one of the Elite in his father's selection, but had been eliminated before the rebel attack that killed America Singer, one of her closest friends. Marlee married Carter Woodwork shortly after she was eliminated from the selection and all but vanished from the media after the death of her friend. It may have been to prevent any theories that she had been unfaithful to Maxon during the selection, but the birth of her son Kile caused her to visit the palace for the first time after only a year.

Fitz had never met Kile Woodwork. He had only visited once in his teenage years, for less than an hour when his mother came to mourn America Singer for what seemed like the seventh time. He was older than Fitz was, and had been studying in Fennley, but a rebel attack caused his demise after he tried to save some of his peers and ended up being shot through the stomach and dying of blood loss.

"Hello, Fitz," said Marlee. "Yes, I think I did. It's nice to finally meet you," She then returned to her staring back at a nearby tree and ignoring everyone else around the table. The death of her son and of her friend had marked the times her famed cheerfulness started to disappear, something that probably wouldn't return for a long time.

"It's nice to meet you too," replied Fitz, itching to leave the table and talk to some of the girls before Jadie started her announcements of the casting and handed out the monstrous packets that were in piles in a corner. Queen Kriss seemed to sense this and patted his hand before smiling up at her friends once more and gesturing for him to go, something that pleased him immensely.

He got out of his chair and bade farewell to Celeste, Natalie, and Marlee, then walked over to where Jadie was making her rounds so he could check to see how much time he had left before he had to listen to the presentation and watch the faces of the girls as they were slowly weighed down by packets and the knowledge that they'd be doing things for every second of the next few weeks in preparation for the upcoming show.

"Fitz! I'm about to start corralling everyone towards the seating area, but you can go talk to at least one girl before I start. It would be helpful if you just said hello, as we don't have all day," said Jadie, almost as if she'd read his mind.

"I'll do that. Jadie, how's the forecast?" He asked in return. Fitz had just glanced up at the sky and had found the grey clouds gathering again, signs of the storm starting slowly coming together, and had become slightly worried that it would cause them to have to go inside for the casting presentation and the announcement of the soon-to-be-dreaded choreography groups.

She checked her phone, encased in a neon green plastic cover almost as bright as her shoes, and frowned. "Not good. I'll have to check that as we continue on with the evening. Now, go talk to someone!" Jadie shooed him away towards where the majority of the girls were talking, a place where both Sam and Luke were meandering around aimlessly and talking to a few of the girls as they passed them by. Luke was carrying a soda and looked uneasy, but said something to Abrielle and started to smile.

Fitz could catch pieces of the conversation Sam was having with Pandora D'Aboville. He said something about the roof, but Pandora looked away and muttered something in reply that sounded a bit like "My maids have me under house arrest after I snuck outside to smoke" which couldn't be what she had said, as it made absolutely no sense to him.

Sam caught Fitz's eye and seemed to have forgotten about him taking away his beer. He gave him a jovial wave before turning back to Pandora and frowning, though he still appeared to be slightly relieved about something else. Fitz really needed to pay more attention to what his brothers were doing. At this rate, they'd be going on dates and falling in love without him even knowing which girls they liked.

A falling raindrop caught Fitz square in the nose. He looked up at the sky, shortly followed by everyone else, and saw that the storm was certainly getting ready to start up again at full force. The swirling vortex of anvil-shaped clouds was an impressive and fairly terrifying sight to everyone in the garden.

"It appears as though it is about to rain. Please return to the interior of the palace. The guards and staff members will direct you to a safe space, but you have nothing to worry about. Stay calm and everything will be fine," said Jadie, her voice blaring out of a large megaphone someone had made the mistake of handing her. From her facial expression, there was going to be something to worry about.

Fitz rushed over to Jadie as the girls and his brothers began streaming into the palace. "Fitz, now isn't the time, head inside with everyone else," Jadie was walking towards the palace with her shoes clicking on the cobblestones, glancing behind her after every few steps as though someone might be following her.

They reached the room in the nick of time, as thunder and lightning seemed to start the second they were inside the building and the maids and gardeners had packed everything back up to take inside.

It was a shame that the weather didn't want to cooperate with Jadie's overzealous scheduling. Instead of a starlit garden party, the princes and the selected were attending what seemed like a business meeting accompanied by loud crashes of thunder and bright flashes of lightning.

"Everyone! Please, be quiet! " yelled Jadie, clearly frustrated that her well-laid plans had gone awry. "Now, will everyone please pay attention?" she continued.

The members of the selected had all been crowded into the very same room they had first met the princes in, sitting on chairs hastily brought in by staff members working in that side of the palace, whispering among themselves and shooting glances at the large pile of packets Jadie had sitting next to her on the stage. Outside, the storm continued to rage havoc on the city.

The pile of packets was nearly three feet high, each packet nearly three quarters of an inch in width, printed out by the hard-working members of the palace printing department to inform the girls on what seemed like every single breath they would take during rehearsals and where they would take it. It attracted attention like a homing beacon. Everyone felt the need to look at it with a sense of relief and dread.

Luke was sitting next to Fitz in one of the three chairs on the back of the raised platform Jadie and the packets now stood on, anxiously scanning the crowd to find Abrielle, who had already waved at him five times and he hadn't noticed. At this, Fitz realized that Luke had noticed Abrielle, but she hadn't caught his subtle signal that Katelin was watching them both with a ticked-off expression on her face.

"Okay. We can finally start. As you know, we had to cancel our outdoor event due to inclement weather, and have been forced to hold our distributing of the casting lists and rehearsal information in a much less fun environment," began Jadie, scanning the rows of girls to look for anyone who dared to talk during her speech, glaring at her daughter when she looked her way.

She continued after a slight pause. "These lists are only mostly final, but I won't change things for anything other than a major reason. A few spaces have been left blank for the remaining backstage positions that I'll have volunteers sign up for today. Be aware that some of you will have a very busy next few weeks and that I need everyone to work with me and cooperate,"

A flurry of movement caught Fitz's eye. The awaiting maids who had been lingering in the corners of the room began grabbing stacks of packets and passing them out to the correct girls, the names in large print on each cover underneath the province flower of where she came from.

"For instance, I have a few positions that only some of you can fill. I've already chosen Mae Fleur to be our selected representative for hairstylist, giving directions to the maids sent to help her in the backstage area in rehearsals and adjusting any last minute things during the performance. Some positions are also less orthodox, such as Kinsey being our snack distributer," Both Mae and Kinsey seemed a little embarrassed about being called out in front of their peers.

"The other positions already chosen are Lisbeth Stewart as the head costume adjuster backstage. Gloria, Evangeline, and Sophea will all help out with makeup. Our set painters for the backdrops will be Pandora and Averian," said Jadie.

The last few packets were passed out and opened by the girls, each scanning the long lists that took up the first five pages for their names, which had been conveniently highlighted in colors that wouldn't make the page obnoxious and vexing to look at.

"Please turn to page 30, section nine, mini-section four. This is the schedule for tomorrow's rehearsals, and I'd like everyone listed in the groups to take note of this. I've included a key for easy guidance to the sections and schedules," Somehow, Jadie's clipboard was under her arm and staying their even when she made movements with her hands for emphasis.

Fitz was watching the expressions on the faces of the girls when he noticed Alette Salem had raised her hand and was waiting for Jadie to call on her. The neon-clothed women looked annoyed, but gestured for Alette to speak.

"What are choreography groups?" She asked, her brown curls tumbling over her shoulders as she fidgeted with her with the strap of her lime green day dress. To his surprise, Jadie didn't look as annoyed as he thought that she would. At least Alette hadn't asked to go to the bathroom. Jadie would have spontaneously combusted if that had been Alette's question.

"Good question, Lady Alette! Everyone turn to page 58. Quickly, please!" Jadie's shrill voice rose above the sounds of seventy packets turning to page fifty eight in the monstrous collections of paper.

As Fitz retreated into his mind, still absorbing the information that Jadie was giving the girls and making a mental note to ask her for one of the schedule packets later on, lightning flashed again outside and thunder came only a few seconds later. He thought that he had seen some human shadow outside, but no gardener would be as foolish to be outside in the storm. It must have been a tree branch. All of this left his mind when another boom of thunder left most of the girls startled and jumpy, some even quietly shrieking.

"Quiet! It's just thunder, girls, don't be silly!" called Jadie, her voice making it past the beat of the downpour raging outside. "Now, Choreography groups. Everyone has been randomly placed in one, check to see who you'll have to learn teamwork with. It's lower on the page, no, not there, in the slightly larger print! Girls who have glasses, you can use them!"

Another flash and another boom. This time, it certainly seemed like there was more than one figure outside. Fitz worked to convince himself it was just tree branches and the storm was making him think illogically. A tiny what if echoed in the back of his head and stayed there because he had no proof at all that anyone would be outside.

"Our dear Queen Kriss was the one to come up with the idea of these groups, on the foundations of using them to strengthen the developing bonds between you and to form new friendships that you wouldn't have considered beforehand. Every group was randomly put together, and while some seem bound for catastrophe, I'm sure that you are all capable individuals who can use your brains to work through it," Someone coughed and Fitz realized that he was becoming quite bored.

"In these groups, you'll be creating a dance routine that must be at least three minutes long and can't be over four minutes. Costumes, makeup, and the choice of a song from our approved list will all be up to you," said Jadie.

"It can be jazz, hip-hop, or even modern. Not the contemporary ballet that you think of, no pointe shoes, bare feet and less pop music. You all have to finish this and make it absolutely perfect due to the fact that it will be part of the show and performed in front of the leaders of our country. We have also decided that the best routine will be chosen to be performed on the report for the nation, so make them good!" This caused whispering to begin in the seats where the girls were, and for Sam to elbow Luke in the side.

Jadie seemed to be done with her speech, having put down her megaphone, but a maid took it away and she continued to talk. "I'm now going to let you all head back to your rooms, but please stay inside. Your maids can bring up food for you and keep you entertained. The palace internet is down because of the storm, but your packets are enough material to keep you occupied,"

A collective groan rose throughout the room. For the girls, the lack of internet was almost as bad as the upcoming threat of teamwork in their randomly chosen groups. Fitz hoped that the electricians would fix it before someone snapped from being unable to access their social media.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter was hard to write, but I hope everyone still enjoyed it! I know I didn't get to do everything I said I would with this chapter, but I wanted to get a chapter out anyways. Updates won't be quite as fast from now on as they were in the last week due to the end of spring break.**

 **Besides that, I've now introduced Choreography Groups! The girls have all been randomly put into groups of six or seven to create a dance routine for the performance, something inspired by the horribleness of group projects and the excitement of getting to perform something they created. I don't have songs for these routines yet, and if you would like to give a suggestion for your characters group, feel free to let me know! I won't promise that I'll end up using any of them, but like the beginners tap song (I've narrowed it down to one or two choices), I want to see what everyone would like.**

 **If you enjoyed this chapter, or just like reading the story, leave a review! They're wonderful to read and motivate me to write more.**


	28. A Short Rehearsal

**Prince Sam's POV**

"And a one, and a two, and a three!" Music started blaring from the small speakers hidden in the corner of the studio, a drumbeat making Sam's foot tap on the gray floor. A whirl of movement began in the center of the room and continued in a formation that already was making his head spin. Nearby, the choreographer assigned to the mediocre jazz piece watched the girls run through their practice routine with a neutral look on her face.

The routine was short and the girls stopped dancing barely thirty seconds after they had started. It was a practice routine, meaning that the choreographer had only taught it to the girls to make sure they actually knew what they were doing, the steps repeated to make it really boring in Sam's eyes.

He'd walked into the room to find the choreographer, Amanda Suarez, having the six girls slowly run through the motions of the preparation routine they were doing now. Without music, they had stepped into different position and waved their arms around in something that probably would have looked better if they weren't doing it in something not quite but close to slow-motion. Amanda had made everyone stop and run through it again while she introduced herself to Sam.

Apparently, Amanda was a graduate of Angeles University, and had majored in something Sam couldn't remember. It sounded complicated and might have involved food. The purple-dyed haired women seemed to be around ten years older than Sam was, average height and skinny, dressed in athletic clothes that made her look like she was one of the girls practicing when he had first came to the room. She seemed to be a very intense person, though he wasn't a hundred percent sure that was the right word for her.

"Okay, everyone, that was good! Take a quick water break before we get started on something else," said Amanda, calling out to the girls once they had finished the routine once again.

Alexis, Albany, Elizabeth, Averian, Cila, and Stella all rushed towards where their rainbow of colorful reusable water bottles were sitting on the floor, swiping them up and taking a long drink out of them, then taking one of the fluffy white towels and wiping the sweat off of their foreheads. Both Alexis and Cila plopped down on the floor. Cila, smiling over in his direction, gave Sam a tiny wave.

Amanda walked back over to them and motioned for them to sit up on the benches that bordered the wide, wall-length mirror in the front. Sam was thinking that the mirror would have been perfect for a prank, but he couldn't really steal it off the wall, and Jadie would probably catch him.

"Everyone good? Alright, let's get down to business. That obviously wasn't our actual dance for the performance. Our actual dance has already been decided on, and I don't want to hear any complaints about the song," said Amanda, "Which is Bulletproof by La Roux. Every song in use for the dances is required to be from when the United States was still in existence, they're doing some sort of honoring of the country America along with America Singer,"

There was some grumbling from the girls when they heard that the songs would be older than Illea itself, but Amanda clearly wasn't in the mood to argue. It made sense that she was the choreographer if Jadie had been the one to hire them.

"Your costumes have also already been chosen, I'll show you a picture at the end of rehearsal," continued Amanda, looking around at each of the girls in turn. Albany was the one who seemed to be the best listener out of the group. It was a shame that she hadn't really acted friendly around Sam at the meetings, she seemed to be a decent person despite her nonchalance towards his puns.

Most of the others were also paying full attention to Amanda, though some seemed to want to start the dance instead of sitting and waiting on the benches while she droned on about it. He could understand that because he was pretty close to leaving and wandering the halls of the Angeles dance complex at that point.

"Up! I need you all to get into height order for this," Amanda surveyed the girls and waved them into a line. Honestly, couldn't more of the girls in the selection be shorter than he was? Over half of them were, but to be fair, many of them were within two or three inches of him. It couldn't have killed them all to be under 5'5, because that would be ideal.

The tallest of the girls were supposed to be on the left side of the line. Stella, who towered over him, was obviously the tallest and took this position without any hesitation. Sam was pretty surprised when Averian Dunbar turned out to be the next tallest. Her general personality wasn't one he would associate with a tall person. Next in line was Cila, who was only an inch shorter than he was. The girls after that gave Amanda some trouble.

"Alexis, Albany, stand back to back," She commanded. Alexis and Albany did what she told them do, Amanda walking around them in a circle to try and asses which one had the half-an-inch advantage. "Albany's taller," She proclaimed as she moved her up in the line.

Finally, Elizabeth got into line behind Alexis, nearly three inches shorter than she was, the smallest of the group. It was funny how everyone but Averian and Elizabeth dressed in blue, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe they were all feeling blue because of the weather? Sam probably should stop trying and focus on watching the rehearsal, currently featuring Amanda having everyone pose in the dance's opening formation.

It reminded Sam of a firework. Alexis and Albany lunged outwards, hands on their hips and wobbling to stay upright. Both Cila and Averian were closer to the middle. They stood in standing-up postion with their arms crossed over each other and their hands at their middle facing hip, heads pointed slightly upwards. In the center, Elizabeth and Stella were facing backwards, Elizabeth behind Stella so she could be seen, hands on their hips and feet parallel.

"Good! Now, girls, we're going to start after the first phrase of music goes by," Amanda started to launch into another long explanation of steps and what the girls were going to do, demonstrating them but making the girls stay completely still in their formation.

Suddenly, Alexis became off balance and fell over with a loud crash, thankfully in the opposite direction of where Cila was standing, crying out in surprise or pain. Amanda turned around and rushed over to her before anyone else could reach her and immediately bent down to check to see if Alexis was okay. Personally, Sam didn't know her at all, but Jadie might dangle him over a pit of fire-breathing crocodiles if he seemed to not care about one of the girls. He moved to stand up, but Amanda saw him and motioned for him to sit back down.

She shook her head and helped Alexis up. "She's fine, just surprised when she fell over," said Amanda, Alexis going back to her position and grabbing the bar while Amanda demonstrated the moves, the other girls looking concerned even though they didn't move to help the blonde haired chef from Waverly when she fell over from her position.

Amanda turned back towards the girls and clapped her hands. "Everyone, follow my lead!" She told the girls, getting ready to start the movements once again. The music started up again after a quick click on the remote, and the girls rushed to their positions in line that they'd been told to go in earlier.

"Step touch, step touch, arms! Repeat, like this, good job!" Sam began to watch Cila, since she was the most interesting girl out of the group in the room. Also, she was the only one who he'd really had a good interaction with before, something that made her stand out more than the others. Her curly chestnut hair bounced behind her and her face was twisted in concentration as she tried to follow Amanda's lead.

The girls spun off stage, Amanda motioning half of them to go right and the others to go left, the music suddenly cutting off seconds later. Elizabeth immediately collapsed into the wall. She wasn't sweaty yet, and she didn't look like she was exhausted yet. Maybe she wasn't feeling very well? No one noticed, and she soon pushed herself back off the wall.

"That was great. Now, our job is to run through that for the rest of the rehearsal. We still have around an hour left!" exclaimed Amanda. Everyone in the room, including Sam, let out a long groan of misery.

Unable to get through the torture of another hour of the same dance, Sam quietly waved at Amanda to catch her attention and pointed at the door. Frowning, she nodded, and quickly turned back to the girls. He took this as his escape and darted out the door. Hopefully none of the girls saw him leave, they'd probably be offended and complain to Jadie and he'd be dead.

The hallway outside was deserted. Sam did have a problem, though, and that was that he couldn't get back to his room to scroll through random crap on his phone for a few hours because the guards were watching the entrances and exits of the performance studio.

His plan? Find an abandoned studio and take out his phone. Sam could look at stuff and take stupid pictures for the next hour, waiting until the first session of choreography group practices started and he could go watch the wonderful mayhem and disagreement. It was obviously going to happen, with the girls randomly chosen and put in groups of six or seven. Group Four especially looked problematic, but it had Katelin, so he'd stay clear.

Sam's phone came to life in an instant. The bright light of his lock screen, his picture was a grumpy cat meme, seemed overly bright in the dark studio. The blinds over the windows were still shut and only let through a little of the late morning light in the cracks between the floor and the blinds themselves. Hearing his phone make noise when he typed in his password, Sam fumbled for the earbuds he had in his pocket and plugged them in without putting them in his ears.

Time went by quickly, and it was soon almost time for the choreography groups to start again.

"Sam? What're you doing in here?" A voice jolted Sam out of his intense scrolling. Luke had poked his head through the doorway and was looking at Sam with an expression of confusion, most likely because they were both supposed to be watching the girls' rehearsals, not scrolling through social media in an unused studio and trying to stay away from where Jadie Flores was lurking.

"I was bored. Is it time to see the groups yet?" asked Sam, squinting over at his brother without turning his phone off and finally shutting it down when Luke glared at him. It was an unusual thing, Luke glaring, and he was worried that Jadie and Katelin might have started transferring parts of their personality to the middle prince of Illea and most forgotten of the triplets.

Luke sighed and Sam walked over to him with his phone in his pocket. "Yes. I think that some of them have already met and are having trouble deciding on stuff," said Luke, looking at Sam nervously.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Short Chapter! I'm sorry it isn't longer, but my schedule this week was packed, and I wanted to let everyone see this. I am going to start up a poll on my profile for everyone to vote on for what the choreography groups do. Don't forget to review if you like the story or just want to let me know you're still reading and that I need to do stuff with your character!**


	29. Dancing and Deciding

**Prince Luke's POV**

It had been almost a full day since Luke had attended the first rehearsals and the first, though not very helpful, meetings of the choreography groups. Now the fourth day of the selection, Luke would have thought that he'd already be competing with his brothers for the girls. Apparently not.

So far, he'd been the only one to actually go on a date, even though Jadie had told the boys that they had permission to pull the girls out of rehearsals at any moment in time to take them on one. Sam had asked Mae on a date, but he knew that Sam had been denied the privilege of going into Angeles for a few days after the thing with the tree and wouldn't be able to complete it until the day after tomorrow.

As for Fitz's status so far, Luke had heard a rumor around the palace that he'd asked Larkin Thatcher, known as Lark, on a date that was scheduled for later in the week. Paul had told him that he'd heard from some of the guards that Fitz had asked Lark when he had gone to watch the beginner's tap rehearsal. She hadn't been on the original list, which confused Luke, but some changes had been made to let more girls do more things.

Luke was currently heading to the rehearsal for the intermediate jazz piece. He was more than nervous about seeing Katelin, the tiny mention from Jadie that her daughter was in it made Luke want to run and hide in a closet, but they were already in the last half of the rehearsal and he should be safe.

"Luke!" A voice made him turn around and jump back as Dakota Winters came rushing down the hallway, her curly brown ponytail flying out behind her as she sprinted to a screeching halt right next to him. "Do you know how to get back to Studio G? My teacher is going to kill me if I don't get back on time," panted Dakota, out of breath from her frantic run.

He thought about the map of the building for a second and tried to remember how to get back to Studio G. Luke was pretty sure it was close by, and figured out that they'd need to take the right-hand hallway and stop across from Studio E, where the rehearsal that he was heading to was taking place. It would be easy enough to help Dakota get back.

"It's this way, I'm heading in that direction, just follow me," he replied. Dakota breathed a visible sigh of relief and began to walk next to him as they turned the corner to the hallway that contained the places they both needed to be.

Dakota laughed when she saw how close her destination was. "Well, at least I made it most of the way there!" She said, opening the door and waving goodbye to Luke as she did so, darting inside and quickly jumping back into the midst of the dance while her teacher looked on approvingly. He made sure that she wasn't going to come back out again before he turned and crossed the hallway to his own destination.

The heavy door opened with a squeak, and Luke stuck his head through to make sure he wasn't going to the wrong place. Eight girls and a teacher were in the room. It was the right number, and she seemed to be telling them something the matched what this level would be working on. He spotted Isa Johnson, the last thing that confirmed he was in the correct spot.

"Luke, come in. I'm glad you came," said the teacher. She was an older women, probably in her early sixties, with gray hair that was tied up in a severe bun and a surprisingly kind expression in her blue eyes. At first glance, she appeared to be the kind of teacher who wouldn't have been very nice or fun, but it seemed like first impressions could be misleading. Luke remembered that her name was Lila Monroe.

Ms. Monroe, as she was called by her students, was one of the foremost dance teachers in middle Illea. Luke had crossed paths with her before when he did ballet, but never spoke to her, intimidated by her status and her appearance.

"Have a seat on one of the benches. Girls, let's run through what we have so far!" Ms. Monroe turned to the girls and smiled. They quickly rushed to the sides of the room, which acted as the backstage wings in the studio, and Ms. Monroe prepared to cue the music, making sure that the girls who came out first were in the correct position before doing so.

The dance started with girls running out from each side into the middle of the floor, one at a time from each side until all four pairs of girls were in the middle of the studio. They quickly did a step drag slide into their spots in two lines, one in front and one in back, before doing a set of whirling steps in a canon going from left to right when seen at the front of the room.

Ms. Monroe watched them execute a short phrase of jazz pirouettes and poses with a careful eye. Luke saw her nodding approvingly at what some of the girls from the mediocre group were doing, the ones who had volunteered to take part in a dance with the professionally trained dancers of the advanced group.

When the first verse of the song started, the girls all started to do the exact same steps and arm motions. To Luke, the more interesting part was that they all seemed to correspond to the lyrics of the song. The steps were much sharper on words that were sharper and on words that had less friendly meanings. Guillotine and Killer king in particular were definitely more pronounced than other words.

It was only seconds later when the girls moved out of their lines and to columns on the sides of the studio. They pivoted away from the center then chassed into the middle to switch their column to the opposite side of the room, stretching their legs as long as they could go to make it in time. The next thing that happened was a more complicated part of the verse, each girl doing something on a different word in the sentence, the girl in the front of the column dropping down to a squat and so on, going upwards.

Mazie and Adalacia were the two shortest, so they were in the very front of the columns. They were the ones who had to drop down to the ground on the first count and were required to quickly push themselves onto their backs before twisting around to get up another two sets of eight counts later.

Nest in line, going down to a lunge on their count, were Elizabeth and Alexis. Alexis and Kira were technically the same height but the former had been moved up in line for purposes of height order and getting to the positions in the right spot of the music. The two girls had simpler motions to do than Mazie and Adalacia, though they performed them just as well.

Kira and Averian were the third girls in the columns. At first, their part seemed easy, but then they had to run off stage. That explained the plain standing that they had done for their count. The two girls also had a height difference of five inches, but no one could tell when their columns were all the way across the studio from the other.

The final two girls in the backs of the columns were Isa and the dreaded Katelin, who Luke was making a point to look away from at all times. It was weird how Isa was the same height as he was, if not a centimeter taller, her application listing her at 6'2. Luke himself was only 6'1' and three fourths. Isa and Katelin were tasked with going up on their feet and staying their for the rest of the counts until the next phrase.

As soon as Kira and Averian had run back into the part of the studio simulating the stage, Ms. Monroe stopped the music.

"Good job. That's all we've done so far, correct?" she asked, her eyes surveying the girls as they slowly gathered in the middle of the room. A few of them nodded and she smiled back at them. "Wonderful. We can move on with the dance, everyone back to their ending positions!" Ms. Monroe stepped back towards the front wall and mirror to see everyone more clearly.

"Kira, Averian, you're going to run back in almost as soon as you get off. Mazie and Adalacia? Yes, on your back, just like that!" The two girls in the front of the columns had gone flat on their backs with one knee bent upwards, the other straight against the floor, and were performing a complicated method of getting back up off the ground. Luke had to squint to make sense of it.

Truthfully, Luke's limited knowledge from his time as a ballet dancer really wasn't stretching very far during the rehearsal like he had expected it to. Many of the terms used and the movements being performed weren't matching up with his mental dictionary of dance stuff, especially the jazz versions of things that he actually knew, and even the arm movements seemed foreign to him.

The worst part about the rehearsal process was that everyone expected him to ask people out on dates when he could barely walk into the studio without becoming nervous. Add Katelin into the mix, and he was worse than a hyper kid amped up on enough sugar to kill a water buffalo, very nervous and extremely jittery. Luke wasn't sure if he was shaking or not.

"I need you all to form a line in the very back of the room, facing backwards," instructed Ms. Monroe.

When the dancers ended up in spots that they couldn't reach from their last position in the dance, and when Averian got fed up with something involving one of the other girls and rolled her eyes, Luke could tell that Ms. Monroe's patience was being tested. She looked relived when her checking of the clock showed that they only had seven minutes left in the class after the period of showing everyone the steps, between when they formed a line and the current time.

She strode to the front of the room and acknowledged Luke. "Since rehearsal is almost over, I'm going to have us do what we just worked on with the music. Back to the wings!" Ms. Monroe clapped her hands together.

She cued the music. The girls all merged into one line facing the back of the room, Kira and Averian running back in and taking spots on the end of the line. After a short pause, they all took a step back and then started a whirlwind arm thing that ended in them all on one knee facing the front and further up in the studio than before.

"This part might be difficult. Girls, do your best!" Shouted Ms. Monroe. Her voice reached above the music and echoed throughout the room, causing some of the girls to nod in agreement before focusing back on the steps.

The music reached an instrumental section and they raced off of the stage. Elizabeth had to skid to a moving halt, almost crashing into the wall in her hurry to reach the edges of the studio.

Mazie was the first one from the left side to cross the stage in a huge leap. Adalacia did the same from the other side, though Ms. Monroe seemed to disapprove of her very ballet-like movements. The other girls had to run part way then slide to the other side before another pair did the leaps, going when the music hit a louder sentence.

It wasn't long before everyone reemerged from the sides. They formed another set of columns that were different from the previous ones only in the forward facing direction they were now in, each girl kicking up to the side in a move that had taken them a considerable amount of time to even start to perfect. Isa, who was right in front of him, was able to get her leg up high enough to sweep right over Kira's head.

The speed at which she was able to get it back down and do the next set of arm movements was fairly amazing. Some of the other girls from the intermediate group were still struggling with getting their leg up or even remembering the arm motions, Isa was able to do both perfectly. The quality of her chasses pa-da-bo-ray across the stage was just as great.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Ms. Monroe waited for the dancers to grab their water bottles and congregate in the middle before starting to talk again. As she gathered everyone, she motioned for Luke to join them.

"Here, come stand with us," said Isa. She and Kira were standing next to each other on the opposite side of the group from Katelin, and Isa had probably noticed how skittish Luke looked when he was around her. Relieved, Luke stepped in next to her with a wary look in the other direction, then focused on Ms. Monroe's closing talk.

"Great work today! Since tomorrow is Wednesday and the choir, band, and orchestra rehearsals are scheduled for the morning, we won't have another practice until Friday. I expect everyone to practice on their own and be able to come back doing just as well as you did today. Is that clear?" The teacher gave each of the girls a look before glancing up at the clock.

She smiled around at everyone before speaking again to the group, saying"I'm going to let everyone go now. Don't forget your bags or water bottles, you've got choreography groups next!"

The dancers all swarmed towards the door as Luke tried to figure out where he was going next. He thought that he had told Jadie he'd go to group three and stay there until the all the groups met back in one of the larger studios to tell Jadie their song choices and themes, along with checking to make sure no one was doing the same thing as them.

Yesterday's group sessions hadn't been much, only Jadie handing out the lists of songs and explaining that the group with the best routine would have it performed in another context later on. She had made a point to let everyone know that the routines had to have a theme, and it could be as hilarious or as dark as they wanted it to be.

He'd been merged into the group one studio for the ten minutes they got in the room after Jadie's speech and the pressure of being in the room with all the other groups. Luke wasn't quite sure who had suggested it, but was certain one of the ideas was to do a modern disney princess themed piece to Iggy Azalea's Fancy. The song list only included songs from when the USA had been in existence and Jadie would only accept other requests from the same time period.

Finally, Luke decided on sticking his head into the studios of all the groups, just so he could see what everyone was up to and what they might be planning to do. That way, he didn't even have to go to the ending meeting of all the groups. It would appease Jadie and would make all of the girls happy at the very same time.

His first stop would be the first group. It not only was in the closest place, Studio G, but was also the first of the groups in order. Sterling, Aurelia, Mae, Elia, Abrielle, Maisynn, and Dakota were all wonderful people in Luke's mind. He hadn't had conversations with Mae or Sterling, but since Mae had reigned in his younger brother and Sterling was the niece of America Singer, they were already people he'd be fine seeing.

Voices came out of the studio's half open door when he approached, easily recognizable as Dakota and Aurelia. All conversation stopped when Luke poked his head inside and everyone inside looked visibly surprised that he was there. He'd been with them yesterday, after all, and they might not have realized this was a more brief visit to see what was happening.

"Luke? I'm guessing you're just checking on us, it's good to see you," said Abrielle, breaking the silence. Seeing her made Luke smile and actually step into the room instead of continuing to hover out of it.

Like the other girls, she wore the Jadie-approved dress code of leggings and a tank top, black jazz shoes on her feet, her auburn hair pulled back in a tight low bun. Her maids must have worked hard to make sure that everything fit and she could maneuver easily in it, though she still looked like she'd prefer to be wearing something similar to her usual attire.

Dakota frowned and quickly looked around at the other girls. Finding that they were nodding, she shrugged and turned back to Luke. "Good morning! It's nice to see you twice in one day. Thanks for helping me find this place earlier, at least I didn't have to change studios this time," said Dakota.

"Hi, Abrielle, Dakota, everyone else. She's right, I'm only staying for a few minutes, but I wanted to see you anyways," He nervously fidgeted with the edge of his shirt before seeing Abrielle's comforting smile and stopping.

She walked over to him and turned to the others with an air of purpose. "We still need to pick a song. We've wasted enough time already, and while the Disney idea is decent, we might be able to come up with something else. Any ideas?" Abrielle nodded in Sterling's direction when she raised her hand.

"Maybe something less upbeat, and something less comical. I feel that the idea is fun and creative, but for something like this, I think we should go down a route that has a different feeling. Does anyone remember who came up with the idea? I'm sorry, I don't mean to insult you," said Sterling. Her hands were in the pockets of her pale grey zip-up jacket as she looked around.

Aurelia shrugged. "I don't know, maybe me? I don't think something less upbeat will help us win. If they laugh, or think it's a good theme involving a favorite and well-known topic, we have a better chance of winning! Plus, it's super fun!" She exclaimed.

Sensing an oncoming discussion that he would probably have to take a side in, Luke slowly began backing towards the door. However, Dakota noticed, and her icy blue eyes looked straight into his soul as she frowned in his direction. He'd have to think of an excuse, and quickly, before he was eaten alive by the seven girls that were starting to take sides.

"I think Jadie wants me on a schedule. I should probably go before she comes down on us. It was nice seeing everyone!" Said Luke, momentarily stopping the conversation once again. To his relief, no one raised any complaints and nodded before going back to talking.

He was able to escape and peacefully walk to Studio B without any interruption. The next group was made up of Atlantis, Gloria, Pandora, Poppy, Scarlet, and Averian. It seemed like it might have contained too many opinionated people, almost everyone except maybe Scarlet having already proven this, and Luke had a feeling that some of them might not work together very well.

When he opened the door, he found all of the girls sitting in a circle on benches that had been pulled away from the mirror wall. Atlantis was holding a clipboard and a pencil while Scarlet was pitching some idea to the group with a fair amount of gesticulation. Averian seemed to have some strong desire to talk, but was staying quiet for some unknown reason.

"And I think that would be cool! Poppy, what do you think about it?" finished Scarlet, turning to the group's resident redhead.

Poppy shrugged and resumed her former position of staring at the wall mindlessly. She seemed like she hadn't gotten very much sleep, Poppy must have been tired enough to not have any say in what the girls were currently discussing.

"And Atlantis and I both have to be patrons? Why not just me? I am the prettiest and the most famous, after all. Plus, she's only a three! I'm a two! I shouldn't even be doing this with all of you lower caste cretins, Scarlet and Poppy are both sixes!" complained Gloria. She didn't seem to have realized that Luke was watching them and seemed to be throwing her manners to the wind. He'd make sure to tell Fitz about that, they didn't need him to get attached to someone who seemed a little self and fame centered.

Pandora sighed and shook her head. "Gloria, shut up. Poppy, if you're okay with the idea, I say we find a song. Or does anyone else have anything better for us to do?" She asked, but no one answered her. Luke wondered if they had found out about her and Sam's past and had began to resent her.

"No, but I do have some things to say to Gloria," Averian glared in the brunette two's direction, looking like she wanted to say those things with her fist. It was reasonable for a girl to be insulted when someone else said something like Gloria had, but resorting to violence only brought Averian one step closer to Katelin, something that could be extremely problematic.

"Yes? I can't see what a low caste, dumb, not even famous, and totally ugly lump of a little girl would have to say to a famous two like me," snapped Gloria. Luke finally realized that none of them noticed he was watching them when Averian flung herself in Gloria's direction.

Pandora grabbed Averian and made her sit in silence. She was still fuming and shooting looks at Gloria, but made no moves to try and escape Pandora.

Luke himself decided to escape his silent watching of the girls, since it was probably getting a little creepy, and was heading down the hallway when he heard frantic footsteps behind him. Paul, one of the gardeners who was his friend, was running down the hallway with tears dripping down his face and a frenzied look in his eyes. He dashed up to him and sunk to the ground.

"Luke! They're coming, they've already hit the palace, everyone has to run, or hide, or something!" gasped Paul in between heart wrenching sobs.

No. Not now. Not when everyone thought that they were safe! And if they had already hit the palace, were his parents okay?

Luke's head began to swirl with frantic thoughts that he pushed away when he realized that something needed to be done, the girls had to be taken to safety before any of them were killed or worse. Paul was saying something about them easily disarming the guards and not trashing the place, only killing everyone they had come upon and carving marks into their face even if they were only unconscious, but Luke had a greater purpose.

"Paul, go into those studios and get the girls! Everyone else will have left by now! Jadie went back to the palace and my brothers are here. There's a bunker underneath, we can use that, they wouldn't let us practice here without the safety measure!" he said confidently.

However, Paul merely started to cry more. "They got Marjorie! And Lorelai, sweet, precious Lorelai... my daughter.. marked for the rest of her life..."

A large crash echoed from outside. The rebels were here.

* * *

 **Author's Note: A terrible cliff hanger and a rebel attack? For the sake of the author's note, forget that for a minute or so and read this.**

 **I do need to ask something of you, and it's kind of last minute, but I need song and theme ideas for the choreography groups. I haven't been able to come up with anything on my own and this is a perfect opportunity for some reader involvement. Just leave some suggestions in a review, they have to be songs from the time period we're in (Maybe 1970s to our Present?) and try to have some commentary on the story in your review. Your suggestions might end up being for the winning dance! (Songs, not genres!)**

 **Quick Interuprtion- Are these notes too much? I feel like my attempts to be friendly and divulge information aren't working very well and no one reads them.**

 **(To Smiley- Guest Reviewer- Thank you! It should be easier now, I always appreciate your dedication to reading and reviewing!)**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and is excited for what's going to happen next! It's a Fitz POV, Sam will get the chapter after that and finally have his date. I have plans. Possibly evil plans.**

 **If you need to, get caught up, you won't want to be left in the dust and unable to understand everything once we really get moving.** **Remember to leave a review if you have song suggestions and have opinions on the chapter!**


	30. The Rebels Are Coming

Prince Fitz's POV

Unlike his brother, Fitz hadn't been going around and visiting groups when Paul came rushing through the doors in frantic sobs. He hadn't been like Sam, either, sticking with one particular group and pretending to pay attention the important proceedings. What Fitz had been doing was something that caused him to be in an absolutely awful position when the rebels came knocking through the door of the complex.

Fitz had been walking outside with Lark Thatcher to help her catch her breath after a slight stomachache had caused the vertically-challenged girl to be unable to participate in the rehearsal. She had been sitting on the bench looking miserable when he had come into the room to watch, causing him to offer to take her outside for a quick walk around the building to help clear her head, something that she enthusiastically said yes to.

They had only made it a few feet away from the front door of the building when a figure passed by them on the sidewalk and darted straight through the door, given that the guards had recognized him and cleared his way. A member of the security detail for the princes, the only one who was with them, made to go inside and find out what was happening when the first sign of the rebels occurred, which was where he was now.

A loud boom rang out and something whizzed past Fitz's ear. Grabbing Lark's hand and dashing down the other side of the building, he chanced a careful glance behind him and nearly lost his composure when he saw two armed rebels clad in an array of dark clothes were splitting up, one trying to get the door of the building open while the other came after him and Lark.

Lark was practically shaking as he guided her to what he hoped was safety, her face still slightly green from her stomachache even though it was currently the least of her worries. "Fitz? Where are we going?" She whispered.

"We'll either outrun the rebel, hide somewhere secure, or assess our position and defensive prowess," He replied. Lark nodded and picked up her pace, sneaker-clad feet slapping against the pavement as they rounded the next corner of the large building. Unfortunately for them, the rebel had almost caught up to them and was taking a black gun out of the holster they wore slung around their waist.

Lark's eyes widened in fear when she looked back. Fitz knew that this was the time to strategically plan for some sort of attack or to find somewhere to hide. They couldn't outrun the rebel, but they surely could take one of the other two options.

The first option was to hide. There weren't many available areas for them to do that in the surrounding vicinity, but a nearby building was a bakery that probably had some sort of back closet or bathroom that they could run to and use for safety, repaying the owner and any patrons later in case the rebel decided to follow them inside. It was a risky option and had a lower chance of success, since it depending on their speed and the questionable issue of the bakery even having somewhere for them to hide in. He knew that some bakeries didn't have closets.

The second option was to fight. They could turn around, try to disarm the rebel, and use a nearby stick or metal stick to fend off any attacks they would try without the gun. Lark looked strong, given her job and caste, and Fitz had actually taken a number of mandatory self-defense classes at the palace and a course in improvisational weaponry for fun a few summers ago. Ths option also, surprisingly, had a higher chance of succeeding than hiding did. He was able to locate some makeshift weapons close enough for them to grab.

The sound of a bullet flying through the air near Lark's head decided matters for Fitz, and he quickly whispered the plan to her as they ran towards a nearby alley. She nodded, and they broke away from each other, Lark picking up a long wooden board that was almost her height and practicing swinging it, Fitz securing an abandoned metal stick and grasping it tightly in his hand.

When the rebel came running around the corner, they were ready. Lark quickly used her wooden board to hit the gun out of the rebel's hands and pick it up, slipping it into her waistband in a swift move. The rebel made a grab for it but was intercepted by Fitz's metal stick to their head. It made a dull clanging noise that sounded potentially painful for the receiving party, which was the rebel.

After making sure it was unconscious, Fitz turned to Lark. "Should we see who it is before I call for the guards to take it back to the palace?" He asked. Lark nodded and bent down to remove the hood covering the face of the rebel with a quick jerking motion.

It was a girl. She didn't look to be any older than 17, certainly not anywhere in her twenties yet. The girl had a round, stubby nose and downwards slanted eyebrows, her mouse brown hair cut short in choppy, magenta dip-dyed strands that fell over her forehead. The metal stick had left a small imprint on her head that was already turning into an ugly bruise in shades of black and blue.

Lark gasped and Fitz started to dial a number on his emergency communicator that had been given to him by the palace guard. The comm made a beeping noise as it contacted the palace, the communicator quickly held up to Fitz's ear the second it started so he could contact whoever showed up.

A gravely voice came out. "Your highness. This is Guard Commander Aida Liu, what is your current status?" said the voice. Fitz breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Commander Liu. She was one of the palace's finest officers and was more than qualified for the task ahead.

"Alive and with Larkin Thatcher, a selected. We've rendered a rebel pursuer unconscious and will travel back to the building shortly," replied Fitz. Lark looked over at him and back down at the girl before beginning to pace around the alley. She still carried her wooden board with her, an intelligent decision when the rebels may have still been occupying the surrounding area and preparing to launch an ambush to retrieve their fallen comrade.

The communicator crackled again and a reply came back. "I'll send a group to the location immediately, we already have people on the way and I can have them come get the rebel at the front of the building. We have a guard stationed nearby that can come and take her there. Head back inside through the back entrance and get everyone in the building out,"

"I'll do that immediately. Your service is appreciated, Commander Liu," responded Fitz as he motioned for Lark to come closer. She obediently stepped towards him and jumped when a guard ran out of the bakery and Fitz's communicator turned off, appearing fairly confused with a hint of agitated in the mix. Lark looked questioningly towards the guard, who saluted Fitz and scooped up the rebel girl.

"Officer Max Harbor, your highness. Can I interest you in a cupcake?" Max was still holding a box full of baked goods in his right hand while he carried the rebel girl with them as they swiftly walked back to the building. Lark laughed, and Fitz shook his head with a slight smile.

Max took the girl and walked up to an approaching car when they reached the forwards-facing side of the dance studio complex. He waved farewell and slipped the girl into the automobile before putting himself in it as well.

Finally back at the doors, which were now open and almost entirely destroyed, Fitz and Lark both held their methods of self-defense tighter and cautiously stepped through the door way, Fitz entering a few steps before Lark joined him. The opening hallway seemed to be deserted. Lark was about to say something when they heard a loud crash coming from a side hallway closest to Lark.

"That way," said Lark, beginning to pad down the hallway with less noise than a mouse. Fitz followed her with his metal stick clutched in his right fist and his left hand ready to give them access to a door or pick up a stray object.

What they found at the end of the hallway made Fitz stop dead in his tracks. There, splayed on the hard tile with pools of a dark red substance collecting around it, was the body of Luke's friend Paul, the gardener. He looked as though his throat had been slit in a fight. The corpse, as it was dead without any shade of doubt in his mind, was marred with a bright red carving in the shape of a star cut into his forehead.

Lark didn't seem to want to look at it and continued on to where the sounds of conflict were. Fitz was forced to follow her, leaving the corpse behind, but he made a silent vow to remove it from the premises before Luke even so much as caught a glimpse of it. Telling him that he had left on some vacation would be much more comforting for Luke to hear than to hear that his friend had been brutally murdered.

At the end of the corridor, a relatively terrifying and a slightly wonderful scene awaited them. The five rebels that had stormed the palace and that had been attacking the building were no longer on the offensive side of things. Rather, they were all attempting to run away from Katelin Flores-Lee and the other selected that she was leading in a charge attack with dance moves and chairs.

Isa's high kicking movement landed square in the face of one of the rebels, who cried out in shock before taking out another black gun that mirrored what the rebel girl's gun had looked like. Noticing the gun, Katelin vaulted over the heads of a few other girls who had no possible clue as to what they were doing and slapped the gun out of the rebel's hands before slamming them to the ground and knocking them unconscious.

Fitz soon realized that Luke had been ferrying the girls out of the building and to safety. He must have been trusting Katelin to keep all of them safe and to unleash the full force of her quite intimidating fury on the rebels, something that Fitz had to admire his brother's courage with.

"Fitz! Can you get that one behind you?" shouted Katelin, looking almost like she was enjoying this. She probably was.

He nodded and quickly turned, his metal stick grasped tightly in his fists as he swung it at the rebel behind him. This one actually had the amazing gift of common sense and tried to duck. This time, Fitz moved in a different direction than the one the rebel expected him to go and instead poked them with the end of the stick directly in the gut.

The rebel swore under it's breath and Fitz was able to gently knock the metal stick into the side of the rebel's head to render them unconscious.

"Good job, Fitz! You're better at this than I thought you'd be," said Katelin, bounding up to him after she had firmly clobbered the last of the rebels and had sent the rest of the girls off to safety with Luke. She examined her tank top and poked at the blood stains that were now there. "Oops. I might have hit that one too hard. It's fine, I checked to make sure they were still alive! Mostly," She smiled as if this was perfectly normal.

Fitz slowly backed away from Katelin as she turned and raced to catch up with the others. For Luke's sake, he hoped they were already headed back to the palace where the intimidating brunette couldn't reach them.

The area outside was empty except for a pair of two guards that were waiting for him to emerge. "Your highness. We should be getting back to the palace for the interrogation of the girl," said the taller of the two with a raspy cough that sounded potentially problematic. Fitz nodded and followed him to a waiting car, one with blackened windows and hidden armor underneath the paint so they were protected and so the car was disguised and could pass as a normal, everyday vehicle on the streets on Angeles during their drive.

When the shorter guard opened the door, Fitz slid into the backseat and immediately clicked on the remote to see if the attack had reached any news broadcasts. After a few channels, it became apparent that they were in luck and the guards had done a superb job of hushing up the attack from being leaked to the awaiting media, those that would happily broadcast headlines about the selection not being safe.

He took the rest of the drive to sit back and close his eyes. It had been a long, harrowing day and Illea's oldest prince needed to make sure he didn't look like a dead man walking when he entered the interrogation room to watch the questioning of the rebel girl. Fitz already knew it would be him, Commander Liu, two guards, and the girl inside the room. His father never liked going to these sorts of things.

"Sir, we're almost at the palace. You're to go straight to the interrogation," The shorter guard spoke more confidently than his taller counterpart did. He was a stocky man in his mid-twenties, probably recruited from the draft and from one of the higher middle castes due to his confident manner when speaking with Fitz. Some of the sevens often were outright terrified.

"Noted. Thank you, officer," replied Fitz as they pulled up to the palace, already getting out of the car at the second it had began to slow down enough for him to disembark. The two guards nodded and followed him.

It was a short walk to the room they needed to be in, having pulled in to one of the entrances in the underground levels of the palace for this very purpose. The hallways down here were less opulent than the ones upstairs but were still fitting of the living place of a royal family. Deep hues of wallpaper coated the upper halves of the walls, cream colored plaster on the bottom, making it seem more like an old aunt's room than the route to the lower levels.

Needless to say, they made it to the door of the room in record time, Commander Liu waiting for them at the door. The commander was a tall women in her late thirties, stemming from New Asian descent, and was known for her efficiency and battle tactics when they needed them. She was also known as being the best guard in the palace to conduct an interrogation. She'd handled rebels, defectors, terrorists, and even more during her time in office and had gained the respect of many of her male peers that had once considered her weak and unfit for a command at the palace.

"Commander. Is the girl inside?" asked Fitz. He had straightened himself up and stood with more confidence than he had in the last few hours. It was best for her to think of him as an equal rather than a meddling child, after all.

Commander Liu nodded and gestured for one of her guards to open the door. "Yes," she replied, inclining her head and letting him step into the room before she did. The door closed behind them with a loud thud.

The rebel girl sat slumped over the shining black table in the center of the room. Her hood had been removed completely, giving the Commander and Fitz a better view of her face, but she was still unconscious from his sudden attack. Fitz hadn't thought that the stick would have rendered her gone to the world for such a long period of time, nearly thirty minutes, though he may have hit her with more force than he had originally meant to.

Commander Liu had followed him into the enclosed area and was now assessing the girl from afar, eyes narrowed and filled with a sort of passive arrogance that only a high-ranking military officer would have. Fitz watched her in caution as she slowly made her way around the other side of the room to sit down at the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"Wake her up," said the commander. The two guards that had accompanied them into the area immediately proceeded to walk over to her and gently shake her back to a state of consciousness."Good," the commander eyed the rebel warily.

"Let's get started. What's your name, girl?" asked Commander Liu, sitting up straight and speaking in a mostly cordial manner. However, her eyes told a different story, black holes preparing to swallow a galaxy with ease if one so happened to get in her way. The commander may have been almost as intimidating as Katelin was, and due to the fact that Fitz had just watched the latter pummel the daylights out of a pair of rebels, that was not something that could be taken lightly in any way.

"Where am I? Who're you?" stuttered the girl. Her eyes flickered around the room and landed on Fitz first. She suddenly realized where she was and quickly checked her bonds to find a way to escape. As a rebel, she must have been made to distrust the palace from a very early age, though Fitz could see how the sight of the commander could potentially make her even more frantic to leave the general vicinity.

A disapproving noise came from the commander. "I ask the questions. Your name, girl," She repeated. There was a silent showdown between the girl and the commander, both trying to stare each other down and gain the upper edge in the interrogation. The rebel had courage, Fitz had to give her that even when she was a traitor to the country.

"Gilly. Don't have a last name, never had one. I don't know who you are, but that's not how you work, is it?" The girl finally spoke. A certain aura that reminded Fitz of Sam's more sarcastic side was present with Gilly, someone who shared the same bravery his brother did in highly different circumstances. Gilly had tried to stand against the crown and his family, while Sam had asked Katelin to push him out a window voluntarily for purposes of canceling the selection.

The commander leaned forwards with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "So, Gilly, you're an eight, yes? Or are you the byproduct of another caste altogether? You and I don't have to fight about this. It will make everything easier if you continue to cooperate,"

Gilly snorted in reply and rolled her eyes. A spike of brown hair dyed magenta fell in front of her right eye, and she tried to blow it back up. "You'll kill me and send my body back to them anyways. I'm not a killer, but you? You most certainly are. I wouldn't be surprised if you thought that we would have been so heartless to kill the baby. Her mother was another story," She replied.

Fitz felt a sudden surge of dread rise in his chest. Lorelai, Paul's baby daughter, wasn't dead, but she was now without parents and had a star permanently etched into her forehead from one of the rebel's knives. If Luke found out, he'd want to take her in, and they couldn't have that.

"Officer! Go find the baby and see if we can get her adopted by the end of the day," said the commander. "I've heard from sources that Prince Luke was friends with the dead parents, we don't need him to be an emotional wreck for the rest of the selection, tell him they've decided to go and take a trip to visit family because they're worried the palace is unsafe for the child,"

The officer nodded and left the room, leaving Commander Liu and Fitz with only one guard. Gilly didn't seem to be in the mood to cause any problems as she was staring flabbergasted at the commander with a perplexed look on her face.

"You're worse than our leader is," remarked Gilly after a profound few moments of silence. Commander Liu shook her head and gave the girl a piercing smile, one that chilled Fitz to the bone and made him wonder if Commander Liu was truly on the same level of heartless as the humans who carved their symbol into the forehead of a baby who had just become an orphan and was going to be shipped off to somewhere unknown.

"I may be, little Gilly, but the best way to beat your enemy is to think like they do. Officers! Take her away," said Commander Liu. Fitz recognized the possibly unintentional Ender's Game reference the moment it had left her mouth. It had been his favorite book when he was eleven.

The remaining guard walked over and pressed a cloth against Gilly's face, making her eyes roll back into her head and her body to collapse against the chair. She was swiftly carried out of the room. Commander Liu waited for them to leave before turning to Fitz with a less harsh, but still intimidating, look in her slanted black eyes as she gave him a small smile.

"Not a word of this to your father or anyone else. Understand, your highness?" said the women. Fitz nodded, but raised an eyebrow, causing her to laugh in a harsh, barking way that sounded hard on the throat. "We might make someone out of you yet," She said.

He strode out of the room without another word to the commander and began thinking of a plan as to keep the media away from any hint or sign of the attack, judging from it's absence on the screen in the car. It would be best to get back out in to Angeles as soon as they possibly could. Hopefully before the report on Friday, if they could manage it. The best order of business would to have everyone on lockdown tomorrow, Wednesday, then let Mae and Sam go into the city for their date on Thursday as a way to show they weren't hiding from something.

Fitz made the decision to go upstairs and find Jadie to tell her about his plan. She was the only who might actually be able to enact it, especially with her punctuality obsession and need for the scheduling of every little thing under the sun.

As he took the stairs up to the first floor of the palace, Fitz noticed his brother talking to the guard from earlier with a relieved expression on his face. Fitz's heart sank once again because he hadn't protested the deception against his innocent little brother and was going to be the target of much anger and angst in the future of Illea's middle prince, though hopefully once the selection had been completed for all three of them.

He turned and began to walk down a hallway. This, something he knew for sure, wouldn't be the end of the tragedy and suffering in the selection.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Fitz is right. Prepare yourselves, I've got a lot of things in store that aren't on the happy side of things, but we'll get to a happy ending eventually. We do have a number of chapters left before the actual performance and dress rehearsals, thee POV rotations until I start the dress rehearsal chapters then another for the actual performance. After that is the Hawaii trip to strength bonds with what will soon be Illea's 36th province! That should be fun, and I'll have a set of questions up for that by the time we get to dress rehearsals.**

 **Mae and Sam's date is next chapter! Finally!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed or PMed me with song ideas. I still need more, so keep sending those in with reviews that will also tell me what you thought of these chapters! We're doing really well on reviews, it's only the 30th chapter and we've got 240! I appreciate every single one and they truly make me very happy and motivated to write more.**


	31. Sam's Date with Mae

**Prince Sam's POV**

It was two days after the first rebel attack of the selection. The time that had passed was spent in a sort of boring way for Sam, the entire day of Wednesday passing in a haze of aimless wandering and him occasionally talking with whichever selected happened to be wandering by on their path towards some other part of the large palace. Time had also been wasted by scrolling through pictures and funny captions, keeping him busy and on autopilot until dinner.

Dinner had been more interesting to Sam, but not enough to actually think about it as being fun. The girls had all came in wearing long gowns in different colors to try and look worthy to his parents. It had been the first time they'd eaten with the royals, after all, and sitting near Sam's mom was scary enough when you were just her son. She had a habit of yelling at him.

After dinner, they had all been sent back up to their rooms to wait for morning, something caused by the attack. There usually would have been after dinner entertainment that almost no one made a habit of going to.

He had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had gotten back to his room and flopped on his bed. Sam didn't exactly know why he was so tired, he hadn't done literally anything exhausting all day, but sleep was a welcome relief to the boringness of the palace. While asleep, he had a really weird dream about fruit chasing him around the palace gardens and screaming about things related to buckets. It creeped him out.

The current time was 1:12, the day's lunch just having finished, and it was getting close to the time where Sam would go and get Mae for their bowling date in Angeles. Sam really wanted Jadie to let them go to a normal bowling alley and interact with the people there. However, that wasn't possible with the recent rebel attack and Jadie's fury when she had heard that her daughter had played a significant part in driving off the rebels.

She'd told him that they'd have to rent out the entire bowling arena for the duration of the date. At his request, Jadie did put measures in place to disguise guards and palace staff as the other players, and performed a long background check on the place's workers before clearing them for work during the date.

"Hello, Prince Sam," said a voice from behind him. He turned around and found Lisbeth Stewart standing there smiling. Her black hair was tied back, and she wore a outfit similar to what the other selected had worn during their rehearsals in the past week. Maybe she was going there now for choreography group practice after Jadie had finally approved the studio safe for practice once again.

What if Mae had already left and was at the studio? Sam panicked and started to move himself towards the direction he needed to be in to find Mae. Lisbeth frowned and jogged after him to keep up, a confused expression on her face. "Is Mae already at the dance complex? Did you see her leave?" asked Sam, unaware of the fact that the comment would offend Lisbeth. Sam had no idea that it was impolite to tell a girl that you were going to see another one for a date.

"She's still here. Jadie reminded her, your highness," replied Lisbeth. Sam breathed a sigh of relief and slowed his fast walk to a normal one. He really didn't want to be sweaty when Mae saw him. His reputation around the palace was bad enough that he also needed to get rid of Lisbeth, forgetting about the selection and reverting back to the way he was before two years ago. He still acted like that sometimes, but it had been less present after the incident, and Sam wasn't very focused as he went to get Mae.

Sam turned back to Lisbeth and tried to put a sorry look on his face. "Er, I kind of need to get Mae for something, do you mind leaving? I don't want her to think something's up, you understand, right?" said Sam as he backpedaled toward Mae's door.

"No. I'll go. I hope I'll see you later," replied Lisbeth, looking sad as she walked away from him and back down the hallway until she was out of sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly checked to make sure he looked at least semi-presentable. A knock on the door caused one of Mae's maids to open it and nearly drop the basket of laundry she was carrying. Mae poked her head out of another corner and saw Sam waiting for her.

"Your highness! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" started the maid before he shook his head to cut her off. "No problem. Mae, are you ready?" he peered into the room to look at where the blonde girl was currently seated. It looked like she had been talking with one of her maids as she waited, one of the three close to her and carrying a DVD case that looked like it was some sort of old princess movie from the days before Illea existed.

Mae sprung out of her chair and carefully made her way over to Sam. She said goodbye to each of her maids as she did so, each one responding with a cheery wave and a smile as they watched the blonde-haired girl walk over to Illea's youngest prince.

"H-hello, Prince Sam," said Mae. She was wearing an outfit suitable for a casual bowling date out on the town. An indigo shirt that fit a little loosely was layered on top of a pair of light wash blue jeans, her shoes brand-new converse sneakers that must of been chosen for her by one of the palace's shopping assistants. Mae's hair was up in a ponytail with a braid leading from the front of her hair to the back. Overall, she looked really pretty.

"Hi, Mae!" replied Sam energetically. She blushed and looked down at her shoes before one of her maids casually nudged her out of the room and closer to where Sam was standing. "Miss Mae. You two should be going now, you won't make it to the car in time if you don't get moving. Mae, Corinne and I will be waiting for you when you return to the palace later," said one of the maids.

Corinne nodded along with the maid who had spoken and motioned for them to leave. Sam started off down the hallway, making sure that Mae was following him, and smiled back at her. "This should be fun!" He said.

Mae nodded and gave him a small, slight smile as the they meandered down the hallway to where the car was waiting for them, ready to take them to a nearby bowling alley so the date could actually begin. Sam just hoped the car had air conditioning so they wouldn't sweat to death in the Angeles heat before the date even began officially for them.

Two guards opened the door for them when they approached. A wave of heat blew over them as the outside air came into the palace. Sam grimaced as the warmness of the sun hit his face and already made him feel like he was burning alive in a pit of liquid lava, dangling over lava sharks, fire jets spraying up at him, even more fire above them in a thing the hung over them on the ceiling.

Thankfully, the car wasn't parked very far away, and they were able to get to it without being flayed alive by the sun. The inside of the car was something that seemed normal for Sam, but Mae acted like it was amazing.

"I almost forgot that this would be new to you," remarked Sam. Mae quietly nodded and smiled over at him, much shyer than she had been during the last times they had talked together. It was like she was suddenly scared of him. Had the experience in the garden changed something? Did she now think that he was stupid and a bragging womanizer like some of the others did? It hurt him more than he would have thought to even consider this happening with Mae.

Sam blinked and frowned. "Hey, you'd let me know if you were uncomfortable, right?" He asked, turning to her as she stared out of the window at the quickly passing city landscape going by. Mae instantly had an expression of surprise and confusion on her face, her eyes showing more emotion than her face did. She had green eyes that seemed to be windows into her soul, sparkling with emotion at every second.

"Yes. I'm sorry, did I seem off?" replied Mae. She seemed quieter than usual, but at least she was talking. Maybe Mae was just feeling a little nervous about the date and was tired from worrying about the rebel attack.

The drive ended shortly after their short conversation. The outside of the building showed that it was long and one-story, painted blue until half way up the way then painted a teal shade until the top, the doors wide glass-paned ones that were smack in the middle of the closest wall to them. A few people that had probably been placed there by the palace were walking around outside the building with no clear purpose. Their car rode up to the front curb and parked to let Mae and Sam out, dropping them right in front of the door so they could have easy access to the building.

Without an armed escort, they walked up to the doors and Sam opened it so Mae could walk in first. Believe it or not, he could be a gentleman and know what chivalry was when he really needed it. He followed Mae after she was through and the bowling alley was spread out before them.

It had enough lanes to accommodate an army, each with a different number in neon signs, the mural painted over the back wall of the alley showing a scene of medieval knights and princesses. Odd for a bowling alley, but it gave it a nice feel that many others wouldn't have. A bar with tables and chairs was spread out in one corner of the room so everyone could enjoy a few pints of alcohol.

The shoe counter and the place where the bowling balls were held was close by for easy access from the doors. The bowling balls came in all sorts of colors with bright red numbers stamped on them to inform everyone of their size. Nearby, one of those cool arcade things with the retro gaming systems straight out of history textbooks from the late days of America sat waiting.

"This is impressive," whispered Mae. Her green eyes flickered around to look at everything in the large room and landed on the counter. Sam happily walked over and took a card out of his pocket so he could pay for the games and the shoes, the worker looking at him with wide eyes that seemed both excited and nervous. He thought that there was a better word for that, but he couldn't place it in his mind at the moment.

"Your games and everything else have already been paid for, your highness," stammered the worker when Sam finally got up to the counter, "I also have shoes and bowling balls waiting for you over at lane seven,"

Sam raised an eyebrow. This, of course, had to be Jadie's doing. She would be the only one to think this far ahead and would be the only one with enough control over the scheduling and stuff in the palace to even think about doing it.

The worker removed himself from behind the counter and waited for them to follow him over to lane seven, Mae right besides Sam as they walked past the two or three lanes separating them from the game. The neon seven over their lane was in a bright yellow he was sure that Jadie would have approved of. The mural showed a knight battling a dragon in front of where the lane was, the pins stacked up right underneath the dragon's scaly tail and the space behind it going right underneath.

"Enjoy your bowling!" said the worker. He hurried away, heading back to the counter, and Sam tried not to look like an idiot as he went and grabbed the shoes that were definitely his. Unless Mae wore a Men's size nine, they had been picked out for Sam.

The shoes were typical bowling shoes that looked cleaner and newer than others he had seen before. Thankfully, they didn't have the horrible two-color thing that most of them did, and were a nice solid black. Color was good unless Jadie had been the one picking the shoes out. In that case, he might have just tried to go bowling in his flip flops. Even those would be a less bright shade of yellow than she would have picked.

Mae's shoes seemed to be perfect for her. They were classic black and white bowling shoes with a really tiny heel on the back that might have been usual for bowling shoes. Like his, they were glossy and new, the laces untied and ready for her to step in so they could get started. Jadie had done an even better job of finding ones in her size than she had done for his, apparently.

The bowling balls waited on a thing in the middle of the area leading up to their lane, most of them in a mint color and the others in assorted other shades of green and blue. The red numbers stamped on them kind of clashed with their color scheme. That didn't really matter to Sam, though, he just hoped he'd be able to lift one that was a higher size than what Mae was going to be using.

"Ready to start?" asked Sam. He bent down to lace up his shoes. Unfortunately it took him more than one try to get them on tight enough where they wouldn't just slip back off his feet. Mae giggled at this, her own shoes already secure.

"Don't you usually tie your shoes?" She inquired, fidgeting with a piece of her blonde hair. Great. Now she thought that he was spoiled and didn't tie his own shoes. Maybe she even thought he wore Velcro ones! He needed to fix this before it became embarrassing, he might be good at self-humiliation, but now was most definitely not the time for that to even start to happen. This date really needed to go well.

He made himself laugh before answering. "Sort of? I kind of just tie them once and slip my feet into them with them already tied most of the time. The backs usually get broken in enough for me to do that without jamming my fingers in there, after some time," Sam replied.

Mae shook her head, but smiled slightly. She walked over to the place where the bowling balls were and picked up one of the mint green ones. Sam realized that she'd typed their names into the score-keeping thing when he was tying his shoes and had her going first in the order of things. Mae carried the bowling ball over to the lane with some uncertainty and looked out at the lane with the gutters.

"Go Mae! You've got this!" cheered Sam. She smiled a little bit more and tried to put the ball in the right positon in her hand. Mae swung backwards before gathering enough to force to let it go, rolling and gathering momentum as it whizzed down the lane.

It didn't give her a very good score, but it knocked down two of the side pins before rolling off into the gutter. She scooped up another ball for her second turn of the round and tried to figure out how to best do better this time. The bowling ball was once again swung back and let loose into the lane with the tiniest bit of spinning before it went straight through the gap where it had gone last time.

She turned back and shrugged before gesturing for him to go. The pins were cleared, the bowling balls returning to the machine for him to pick up. Sam walked over and examined the different colored bowling balls before deciding to not be stupid and just go with one of the lighter mint colored ones.

His release of the ball immediately sent it spinning straight into the gutter before it had even gone two feet down the lane. "Darn it!" yelped Sam, trying not to cuss in front of Mae. She giggled as he stomped back over to grab another bowling ball.

This time, he managed to knock three pins down, more than Mae had gotten last time, and grinned up at the score screen hanging over their lane. Sam was pretty sure that had just been a stroke of luck, but was going to be happy about it anyways. "I did something!" He told Mae. She smiled like she was trying not to laugh and went back up to try and beat him this time.

Her turn proved to be less successful than they would have hoped. Two gutter balls, even after she spent what seemed like forever trying to get the bowling ball at the correct angle before letting it loose during her second try of the round. It was obvious that Mae was getting a little frustrated from her bowling talents so far. She wouldn't think like that when she saw how terrible he really was.

Two more gutter balls were all that this round produced for Sam. On Mae's next try, she was able to knock a few down, and she began to hit at least one pin during every round leading up to the eighth round, when things started to go downhill very quickly for Sam in particular.

Mae didn't hit any pins when it was her turn, but had good sportsmanship and was still smiling and quietly cheering for him from back where she was waiting during his two turns. Something suddenly made him want to do really well this round. This meant that he was, in typical Sam fashion, going to try to do something that he really couldn't do and make everyone laugh when he failed badly.

The fancy spinning move thing that he tried started the failure by tripping over his own feet and having to do imitation ballet to try and stay upright. He grinned in an attempt to laugh it off, scratching his head with the hand that wasn't holding the bowling ball and glancing back at the waiting Mae. She smiled back at him in an encouraging way because she was a nice person like that. She was, honestly, much better than he was.

As he finally prepared to unleash the bowling ball from his fingertips, he kind of failed in an even worse way. Sam had never been good at calculating things and ended up horribly misjudging the momentum of the ball. He moved much too quickly, and with terrible stroke of fate, Samuel Schreave managed to whack himself square in the head with the mint-green bowling ball.

"Ow! Drat-darned poop nuggets and moldy tangerines! That hurt!" Yelped Sam as Mae hurried up to make sure he was okay. They both found themselves laughing at his terrible attempt to not curse, and he rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Maybe bowling was a bad idea," he said. Mae shook her head.

"No, it wasn't. How about we finish this game and then go to the arcade? We could get some sodas, too," She replied. It was a great idea, so Sam nodded. He might have been terrible at bowling, but arcade games were more his speed, and they could end the date with a couple of refreshing drinks. If he had come up with it himself, it would have been one of his best ideas of the entire selection so far.

They quickly ended the game with a few gutter balls and Mae winning by a few points, then turned off the score thing. The screen went black as they walked over to the arcade area so they could play some of the games.

"Can we start with air hockey?" Sam asked, spotting one of his favorite table top games in the middle of the arcade area. "Sure. I don't know how good I am at it yet," replied Mae. The two began to walk over and he took out the number of coins necessary to play. The second he tried to insert the money, the message scrolled across the tiny black screen in bright red letters. It said the games were all already payed for.

Jadie had, once again, taken care of literally everything. He wouldn't have been surprised at this point if she had personalized the entire bathroom experience from the soaps to the hand towels just in case either of them needed to relieve themselves.

Mae had walked over to the other side of the table as he was thinking, and was now waiting with the puck and her striker, the thing she held to move the puck. Sam picked up his without another word. "Ready to start?" Mae asked, using her hands to fix her blonde hair so she didn't need to bother with it during the air hockey game. At least this would be something Sam would be better than her at.

The fast-paced game ended with Sam beating Mae 23-3, and at least one of the twenty three he scored was because Mae had accidently knocked the puck into her own goal. To make it easier for her, he'd relaxed some of the rules, but she'd still ended up doing terribly, and he'd secretly let two of her goals in without blocking them to try and be nice. She'd scored the other at the end of the game when Sam had been checking the time instead of paying attention.

"Maybe we should try some of the other games," suggested Sam. Mae nodded and quickly set down her striker. "That's a wonderful idea. Remind me not to play air hockey with you again, Sam," she replied.

As they played with some of the other games in the arcade, Sam realized that Mae was finally comfortable with him. Or she was for today. She started talking a little more, smiling more, and generally being less shy in his presence. When they finally got around to where the machine with the stuffed animals and the little claw thing that picked them up was, he effortlessly won one of them for her.

Mae seemed delighted to have the stuffed sloth that he presented her. Those types of games were usually at carnivals, but the bowling alley arcade had one, and it was a great opportunity for Sam to show off another one of his skills. And do something for Mae, though that wasn't his first thought.

They had gone through most of the games at this point. Sam just kind of wanted to go and sit down to talk, so he lead Mae over to the bar and eating area. The waiter quickly brought them two sodas with colorful striped straws sticking out of them. A basket of fries was also placed in the middle of the table of them to enjoy, though Sam ended up eating almost all of them.

It was clear by the time, twenty minutes later, that they left that the date had been pretty awesome. It was almost sad to be in the car riding back to the palace when they had to leave, Mae carrying the sloth and smiling over at him after he had used one of his terrible puns in a conversation.

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 **Author's Note: I'd like to thank for submitting Mae and helping me plans this date months in advance! I usually don't do this, but since I kept her waiting so long, this is necessary.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! It was fun to write and if it's fun to read, I reached my goal. I think that I've gotten some great song ideas for the choreography groups so far, but let me know if you have anything you think would work better than anything else. I have to chose seven out of all the wonderful ideas everyone has put in, which will be hard, but I wanted to give all of the readers a chance to do that.**

 **About the Hawaii trip, since I did have a few people wondering about it in the reviews- All of the submitted girls will be going. During the chapters between the performance and the trip, though I'm not sure they'll be very many because of the preparation chapters and Jadie's intense schedule, the throwaways that haven't really been mentioned will be eliminated. Another set of questions will be put out around the dress rehearsals. Any other information is coming eventually.**

 **If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review and let me know what you liked about it, or just what you think about the story so far!**


	32. The Report

**Prince Luke's POV**

When he was little, Luke used to despise Fridays. Sitting on the couches with his brothers as Gavril Fadaye asked his parents questions about everything from tax laws to what dinner had been that night, his parents smiling and answering him in their royal way, occasionally letting the report host ask the three boys questions about what they had been doing recently. Fitz had always been the first one to answer and Sam would often jump in with some joke. Not Luke. He was silent.

Time went on and the boys slowly moved up to a couch next to King Maxon and Queen Kriss. Fitz, true to his nature, would help them answer questions and would sometimes spend time talking to the host by himself, while Sam would make corny puns and cause the nation to laugh on the other side of their TV screens. Luke was made to talk every once in a blue moon, but no one ever paid him any attention.

It was probably a good thing, actually. Luke had never been the one who was good at keeping his cool under the cameras. Remembering that most of the people in the country were watching him never seemed to help Luke function, it usually did the opposite and made him feel like a poisonous spider was crawling around in his stomach, only letting a few words out before Fitz would swoop in and save him with something royal-sounding.

"Luke! Dude, are you ready yet?" Luke's door creaked open and Sam stuck his head inside. He was still glowing from his date with Mae, and it had been a full day since it had happened. It was really cool to see his brother being so happy without stirring up some mischief or being sarcastic, or without a drink in his hand.

Sam walked into the room. After checking his hair in the mirror over Luke's dresser, he made his way over to the bed and plopped down next to Luke with a bright grin, making Luke smile back. "You ready for the report? It's been awhile. And this is the first one of the selection! Granted, it's been awhile since I've been in here, but you don't mind, right?" Asked Sam, looking up at Luke.

He adjusted his blue tie before turning to Sam and replying. "It has been. Just know that you're only welcome in here on special occasions like this one," said Luke, slightly jokingly. Sam laughed and sprung off the bed before walking over to the door, checking his gray suit one last time, trying to make his hair stay down without the stuff the hair people at the report sometimes put in it. They'd do it to Luke, which was how he knew about it.

The youngest prince of Illea walked out of the room, grinning back at Luke as he left. It was a good thing that Sam had left quickly, because Luke was feeling a little queasy, and having one of his brothers in his room would only make his impending demise by spontaneous combustion worse. He looked down to make sure his suit was as impeccable as Fitz's usually was.

It wasn't. Luke decided not to let that bother him as he walked over to his mirror. Leaning forwards on the dresser, he noticed that his tie was crooked and quickly fixed it. No one would have noticed it if he hadn't, but he needed to show some effort.

Queen Kriss and King Maxon would be at the report, but in the background for once, his mother making some starting remarks and his father doing the same before Royce Fadaye asked the three questions about the selection so far. They were supposed to be prepared for all sorts of things. The report host was known to have some tricks up his sleeve, and Jadie was always careful to avoid them. Luke was told that he needed to be even more prepared because he had gone on the first date with one of the selected before his brothers did.

The interview portion was only supposed to take up a tiny chunk of the report, however. The rest was supposed to be dedicated to the girls of the selection and their fashion, partially getting to know them, but also letting the public pick favorites. It wasn't like Luke didn't already have a hard time keeping all of the girls unoffended. They just were going to have to make do with the support they got.

The report would end with Luke's parents making some kind of closing statement that supposedly made the selected more confident. Many of Luke's friends around the palace had told him that it had something to do with the recent rebel attack, and how the palace defenses were being upgraded.

He suddenly thought of Paul. One of the officers, one of the ones Sam was friends with, had come to him shortly after the attack and said that Paul was taking his family to a safe area because of the attack. That Paul didn't want his daughter growing up here after she had nearly escaped death, and that Marjorie had been placed in emergency care in the new place they were living in.

"Prince Luke! I sent Sam in here ten minutes ago!" said Jadie. Today's neon colors were present in a pink blouse she wore over a floral pencil skirt, her shoes matching her top with heels higher than Mount Everest. Her clipboard was tucked in her hands as she sighed at Luke's punctuality failure.

"Come, we need to get down there before the selected arrive," Jadie scanned her clipboard's top paper and summoned him to get up, which he immediately did. Luke crossed the room in a few short strides to stand next to Jadie. She began moving as soon as he was there.

Her shoes clicked against the marble floors as they walked down the hallway. "Remember. Smile, head up, don't stutter, clear voice. You'll do wonderfully, Luke, I'm sure of it. Your parents and I are supporting you. I'll be watching from the wings, everything will go smoothly," said Jadie. A gentle smile caused her face to seem different than it always did. "And you've got your brothers," She finished.

Luke was surprised at how Jadie seemed to care for him, no one ever did this with him. Was this what his mother was supposed to do? She had always babied Fitz, and at least tried to keep Sam in line, but she had never seemed to be very supportive of him in general. Queen Kriss had always been more occupied with trying to keep King Maxon running when they were younger, and recently, he had started to become more dependent on her for stability.

When they reached the place where the others were waiting, Jadie peeled away from Luke and over to where some of the tech people were setting up. Luke was left with his brothers to prepare for the report. It started in less than five minutes, and Royce Fadaye was already in his chair on the stage.

Fitz looked to Sam and Luke. "I take it you're both ready for the report?" He asked. Luke only nodded while Sam shrugged unconvincingly. "I guess? I'm just going to wing it, that always works," replied Sam. This caused Fitz to sigh before shaking his head and moving away from his brothers, obviously unenthused with Sam's level of preparation for the report.

It was a relief for all three when the lights dimmed, Jadie coming over to get them on the couch before the program started. The bright lights of the studio revealed that the girls were slowly tricking into a stack of bleachers not far from where the couch was. It was still off-stage, but let them see what was happening on the program in real time instead of somewhere else later.

Many of the girls were seated with people that they had gravitated towards the in the past events. Scarlet and Cila were quietly giggling about something while Abrielle, Cosette, and Flavia were engaged in a whispered conversation. Isa was nearby, acting as the mother of the group and making sure everyone had enough room on the benches, and Katelin was surveying the room with neutral expression.

Luke caught Sam looking over at Mae and giving her a small wave that she returned, smiling and turning to one of the nearby girls afterwards. Sam had a less pleasant expression on his face when he saw Pandora leaning down to say something to Mae.

He thought about saying something to Sam, but the countdown for the show began to start before he could do anything. Royce took a deep breath and smiled into the camera when the countdown got to zero.

"Welcome to your Illea Capital Report! I'm your host, Royce Fadaye, and today's report is sure to be an exciting one! I'm here with Illea's three princes for the first report of their selection. You'll get to hear information about how it's going so far, special messages from our very own King Maxon and Queen Kriss, and watch an exclusive style presentation coming from our very own Aris Dannes. First up, a message from Queen Kriss to our selected," said Royce.

It was easy to tell that Royce Fadaye was a natural in front of the camera. He was only a few years older than Luke was, 24, and had the same natural charisma his father did. Royce wasn't exactly the spitting image of his father, but they shared many other similarities that could only be seen in their speech and body language when they were in front of the camera.

Queen Kriss gracefully left her position on the couch next to Luke's father, walking over to the pale blue background so she could be filmed somewhere different than where the others were. The white and gold gown she wore was the picture of elegance and sophistication. Her brown hair was done in a sleek knot at the back of her neck, and a sparkling tiara was perched on top of her head.

"I give this message to both the selected and to Illea," began Queen Kriss," and hope everyone listens to my words," She paused and looked into the camera for a moment, as if she was intimidating everyone into paying attention.

"The selection is often seen as a place where dreams can come true. Where happy endings come to those who deserve them. Something all of Illea eagerly watches in hopes of seeing a fairytale unfold right in front of their eyes. The prince, or princes in this one, is seen as the perfect man who comes down from some high pedestal of glory to interact with the chosen girls, the lucky ones, who get to have a chance to become part of the fairytale. The beautiful palace with it's sprawling grounds and lovely architecture, the epitome of everything royalty should have."

"Everything goes well until something happens. It's evident that the people of Illea have favorites, and that some girls are forgotten or viewed as being worse than the favorites. Slowly, the fairytale is revealed as being a competition. Some become jealous of those girls who are liked best, some try to break the rules, others do everything they can to try and stay in the palace."

"All of the selected have already gone through something, or are going to, and every single one of them deserves a happily ever after," Queen Kriss hesitated as they message sunk in for everyone and the camera showed the faces of the girls before going back to her.

"The problem is, that happy ever after will always come at the expense of someone or something. There is always a second place winner. Always someone who wouldn't be where they were today unless something happened to someone else. My story ended with death, and I might not be up here if it hadn't have happened. In every fairytale, someone goes home unhappy. They're called the villain, called evil, and while some of them certainly are, the others are just the protagonists in their own failed fairy tale."

"Illea, selected, know this now: None of these wonderful girls are the villain. You may think they're stopping the fairytale ending you want, but it's really you who's ruining their fairytale. Let them have a chance. And, girls, I want you to know that the palace isn't your only chance, because after it's over, your life will still be more amazing than you ever would have dreamed,"

Queen Kriss fell silent, the camera quickly switched back to Royce and the triplets. Luke found himself impacted by her words, but also scared by them. It had been so short that the words it contained about fairytales and Happily Ever Afters were made larger in the context of things. They were in defense of the girls, but Luke could tell that it was also a direct result of what had happened to her after America had died. All of the citizens who wanted America to win had some pretty strong feelings about the chosen one.

Royce clapped his hands. The others in the room followed in the hand-clapping, though the tech guys weren't sure why they were doing it. "That was a great message, Queen Kriss, superb. Now, Fitz, Luke, Sam, you three won't mind if I ask you some questions about what the first week of the selection had been like for you?" asked Royce as he turned to face the three triplets.

All three nodded, but Luke felt his stomach drop. The questions were the worst part because it was the only section of that report that he might have to actually talk in front of the nation in. Fitz and Sam looked confident, but it could just be an act.

"So, Fitz, what do you think of the girls you've met so far?" asked Royce. He leaned forwards in his chair to look straight at Fitz, who smiled back at the report host like this was a conversation happening in the street, or in one of the palace corridors. It was a smart idea for Royce to aim the first question at Fitz, he was the best talker out of the triplets for sure.

"Most of my talks with them have been positive, I find them to be a fascinating representation of our general populace, and many of them are quite pleasant overall. I know that their are some my brothers find more agreeable than others, but that's to be expected, and all that matters is that we're getting along well with the girls of the selection," replied Fitz.

"That's great to hear. Prince Sam, you've already been on a date with one of these ladies. How was it?" inquired Royce as he switched focus from Fitz to Sam. Maybe Luke would get lucky, and they would continue to skip over him for the rest of the report.

"It went really well! I think that all dates will go as well as that one did, because all of the girls are great, and they don't seem that upset when I do something overly stupid and idiotic. If they can tolerate me, this selection is going to go perfectly!" responded Sam. This caused Royce and the tech people backstage to laugh, along with causing the selected to politely giggle. Jadie was watching them, they couldn't do anything more.

"I won't comment on that. Finally, Prince Luke, how have you found the selection? Is it hard having all of these girls in your home when you're not used to it?" questioned Royce, leaning back in his chair with his eyes focusing on the camera before going straight back to Luke.

He felt like shriveling up and hiding under the cushions of the couch. Luke didn't want to talk in front of the entire country about how the selection had gone so far, or what it felt like to have the seventy girls at the palace until they were eliminated by the three. By him, and by his brothers. That it would be his fault when their hopes and dreams were crushed. His fault when they went home in tears.

Trying to pull himself together and form a coherent sentence, Luke took a deep breath and smiled at Royce, giving him an extra second to compose himself while he internally screamed his head off. The eyes of Illea were upon him in that moment. Speak, idiot, speak.

"I've found the selection to be going well, so far. All the girls are likeable and have diverse personalities, something I'm grateful for, and it's been great getting to know them. Having seventy girls in the palace is certainly a difficult thing to adjust to, but I'm sure all three of us have learned to be flexible and deal with things over our years here," replied Luke. That didn't sound too stupid, did it?

"I'd expect that. Thank you, your highnesses," said Royce. He seemed to be heralding in the arrival of the next section of the report, where the public would be introduced to some of the girls and get to see the styles of others. Aris Dannes had only been checking that day during the meetings to see which girls could possibly be fashionable enough to be part of the fashion segment of that part of the report.

"Now, sit back and watch as we get to learn more about the girls from the selection!" announced the report host, a large white screen dropping down from above so the people in the room could see what was happening live on air that was covering the screens instead of being on a smaller one. A tech person got the projector working and the selected, the triplets, and Royce all turned to watch the happenings on the screen.

Luke heard music in the background as Aris Dannes appeared on the screen. "Greetings, Illea! I'm sure you've all been eagerly awaiting the introduction of the selected, and I'm sure you'll find this fulfilling to that, because we've got some of the inside scoop on fashion and personalities of your selected. We'll show some of the girls' answers to questions along with fashion we think stood out," said the fashionable man.

The screen quickly faded to another scene. The girls must have been interviewed earlier that day, probably before they'd gone to one of their weekend choreography groups for rehearsal. Some of the songs that they'd picked had been surprising. Luke suddenly made himself stop thinking about songs and make himself focus on what was happening in front of him.

A disembodied voice spoke, saying, "Alright, girls. Let's start off with something simple. If one of your friends had to use one word to describe you, what would they say? Be honest!" Luke couldn't imagine having to answer that question to have it broadcasted on the report for all to hear. His answer would probably have been something along the lines of "Mediocre" or "Often Forgotten".

The red-haired Kinsey Crossdale showed up first. Her large brown eyes were lined with makeup and her freckles stood out on camera, though Luke had always wished he had freckles. Kinsey barely had to think about the adjective that her friends would use to describe her before smiling brightly at the camera. "They'd use Adventurous. I've always loved to travel," She said. It quickly moved to the next girl, with really good editing work from the palace editing people.

Avriella Rhys, the model from Columbia, came up next. Her blonde hair cascaded over her back when she brushed it aside the second the footage started. "Maybe introverted?" was her answer. Having an introverted model was something that didn't usually happen in the selection, let alone in the real world with it's stuck up two's and snobbish fame-obsessed supermodels, making her more interesting.

A grinning Illonie Everill was up next. Her dimples were in full relief since the camera had been exposed to the full force of her very powerful smile, a truly dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. She'd always seemed like she was too cool for Luke to interact with her. "Friendly. It's a simple word, but it describes me well, and that's all that my friends would think to say in that situation!" He was also sure that the amiable six had many friends cheering her on back home.

Albany Harding was in view, her star-shaped birthmark visible. He hoped that it wouldn't make her uncomfortable to have it on camera. Albany's light brown eyes flickered to something behind where she was supposed to be looking before going back to staring into the camera's very soul. "Dependable. Perhaps stubborn, but I feel like dependable would be something they'd use to try to make me feel better," replied Albany.

Taylor Bray was the final girl to show up, her golden blonde hair covering up whatever color her shirt or dress was. "Reserved," was all her answer was. She hadn't really said very much so far in the selection, but Luke thought that she would have at least said more than reserved while on camera.

"Before we move to another question, let's see some of the style so far!" said the disembodied voice of Aris Dannes from an unknown location. Curly, cursive writing scrolled across the pastel colored screen in a calming aquamarine color to announce the next section. It was more professional than the type of projects that would usually be used in, but it worked anyways.

Stella Writer and her turquoise dress appeared, taken after she had met with Fitz during the meetings when Aris had been visiting. "From when the girls first got to meet the princes. Stella Writer, a three, stuns in turquoise after her group's meeting session with the three princes, still looking fresh out of a magazine as she lets the camera take a picture,"

"And here's the spirited, lively Mazie O'Keeffe! The two braids worn by the fiery acrobat show just how representative a hairstyle can be of one's character and overall shorter than average, she makes up her lack in height by her abundance of energy," The picture showed her talking to someone out of the photo, mid laugh, wearing a grayish purple pink gown that swirled out around her.

"The lovely Cosette Wagner is as sweet as can be in her blue and pink. Hair ribbon and all, this musician from Belcourt seems to have stepped out of a picturesque summer's day somewhere!" Cosette was kindly smiling straight at the viewer in her picture. Luke remembered his terrible manners and accidental information dropping during their conversation.

They went on to show a few more stylish moments, including what Mae had worn on her date with Sam. They also showed what some of the girls had chosen to wear to rehearsals for the dance pieces and for choreography groups, featuring Kira, Averian, Jessica, and Sophea.

"That's it for today, but remember, we'll have something like this every week of the selection! Goodnight, Illea!" Said Aris's voice. It was surprising that Royce wouldn't get to close out the show, but they were already running a little over time, and they must have wanted to get everything wrapped up smoothly before things started to go south.

Luke was, needless to say, relieved when Jadie dismissed them back to their rooms. He really ran pretty quickly back up to his room once he could go.

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 **Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter is so terrible! I'm getting sick, but I'll still do my best to write, though I'm keeping this short. This chapters hates me and I strongly dislike it. We've got another date next chapter, so be prepared for that! I think I'm good on song ideas by now, everyone has done a great job and it's going to be hard to only pick seven.**

 **Remember to leave a review if you liked this chapter or have commentary on the story in general!**


	33. Canis Familiaris

**Prince Fitz's POV**

It was a pleasant day in Angeles, quite a change from the turbulent weather the palace had been experiencing. Birds were singing and their wings fluttered in a small background hum as they flew from tree to tree, making the branches gently bend when they landed, colorful feathers turning the gardens into a festival of grand avian showiness that seemed similar to what the performance dress rehearsals would be like.

Stretching out above the gardens was a clear blue sky. No clouds were in the general area, finally chased away by the sun after days of rain, but the cool breeze that blew around made sure that everyone stayed unburnt by the fiery sun. Angeles was lucky to experience weather like this in the middle of August. Fitz knew that it wouldn't last, they'd be back to searing heat within a few days, per usual.

Angeles weather seemed to be notorious for it's baking heat during the summer months and it's warmer-than-most temperatures for the rest of year. Though provinces like Tammins and Sonage were likely to experience the same heat, the province that housed the palace and the royal family inside it was thought of much more often than any of the other southern provinces were. The temperatures were both a blessing and a curse for the people of Angeles.

However, it was pleasant now, and the present was all that mattered when faced with an important task like Fitz was. It had taken considerable planning to prepare for. Many words had been exchanged with Jadie about it, most of them that came from him being used for even getting the plan approved. He had decided to go through with it outside of the palace after Jadie had nearly combusted from the inside when she heard that there would be a small group of Canis Familiaris inside the palace for a few hours.

"I still don't know why I let you contact that organization. Prince Fitz, I hope you know how much paperwork this took to clear," complained Jadie, tapping the end of her pencil to her clipboard in a demonstration of unhappiness. The planner's electric blue blazer was less neon than her usual style in protest.

Fitz sighed when she gave him a level-headed glare. "It's good publicity for the selection and the organization, besides being something Lark will enjoy. The photographer won't bother you or any of the others. He's been instructed to stick with us as we do things with the dogs in the gardens. If you're worried about the animals making a mess of something, the people I contacted said that they'll be in an enclosed area," replied Fitz.

Jadie still seemed unhappy, but accompanied him down to the van that had just pulled up on one of the palace's side entrances normally used for delivering landscaping supplies. Fitz took the lead down a set of steps that would take them down to where the van was. He could hear Jadie's high heels clacking down the stairwell with a lack of emotion.

The van that waited for them was large and white with a logo painted on the side facing them. It showed a pair of animals, a dog and a cat, happily sitting together with a curling banner strung over their heads. The logo was large enough to cover most of the side of the van so it could announce the organization's presence to whoever passed it on the road, letting them know that the Sheltered Joy Adoption Agency was in business.

"Your highness! Prince Fitz, lovely to meet you in person. I'm Grant, we talked on the phone, this must be Jadie! Pleasure to meet you," said the man that stepped out of the van shortly after they arrived. Grant had done some charity work at an event at the palace in the year previous to the selection, one that Fitz hadn't been able to attend in person after a troubling bout of the flu, but they had gotten to speak over a phone then and had done the same yesterday.

"Nice to meet you too, Grant. You can follow me to where you can get everything together" responded Jadie. Grant nodded and walked around to the back of the van, opening the doors with a slight thud to let his assistant, a younger woman named Patricia, out of the van. They quickly unloaded some stacked cages from the back area and set them on the ground. Noise could be heard from inside them, sounding like the footfall of paws.

Patricia and Grant each stacked two of the four cages up and hoisted them into their arms, whatever pets that were inside them shifting when they felt the change in environment. Jadie began walking down the long driveway that lead to the gardens. "Right this way!" She told them.

The four humans and the pets inside the cages all traveled down the narrow driveway into the gardens as they walked in silence. Fitz, curious as to what exactly was in the crates, considered asking Grant about it before deciding against it. Talking would make this go slower and would shorten the time he'd get to spend with Lark on the date. He needed to get to her soon if they wanted to have time to do anything at all.

"Jadie, do you mind if I go acquire Lark and bring her here? It should let you prepare in relative peace and quiet until my return," said Fitz. He glanced at his watch before looking up at Jadie, who nodded. "Go ahead," She replied.

He parted ways with the others when they reached a fork in the driveway, seeing the closest door to where he needed to find Lark up ahead. A waiting guard opened it for him as he walked up. His route would take him down three hallways before going up a staircase, then down another two corridors before going up a final staircase that would eventually get to the area where Lark's room would be.

As he walked, Fitz thought about the current going-ons of the palace, the selection included in that. The girls had gone to their choreography during the morning session today, while the girls involved in orchestra were at rehearsal in one of the larger rooms of the palace. Sam had spent most of the day yesterday up in his room. Luke, on the other hand, had spent the day running laps around the palace and doing other sport things with some of the guards.

Fitz himself had spent the day watching the various choreography groups, most of which had now chosen songs and were starting on the actual choreography for the dance. The time of when the songs had to be from hadn't stopped any of the group's' creative juices from flowing. Maybe it would be a good idea to go through all of the choices and make sure he knew that they were while he was walking up to collect Lark

Group one had been one of the first groups to decide on a song, and Fitz was forced to check Jadie's list for their choice to deduce what it was. "How Far I'll Go" was an old disney song from the movie Moana.. It had stuck in his mind because of the circumstances and because of a name mix-up, Jadie had mixed up Kinsey's and Abrielle's last names and the later was part of the group.

Group Two had gone in a different direction. Fitz did the same, changing hallways as his mind continued to function like a well-oiled machine in some sort of information processing plant. The restaurant inspired routine was set to Death of A Bachelor, a song by the artists who had produced the song for the intermediate jazz piece.

He continued to catalogue information as he ascended a staircase. Group Three was doing an interesting medley of songs, the routine itself having a theme of cats, with songs from the Aristocats, Oliver and Company, and a song called Stray Cat Strut by a group called the Stray Cats. The highly opinionated girls of group four had gone through a large number of disagreements before settling on Mulan's "Be A Man", soldier themed, as was expected of any group Katelin was in.

The animated movie song bandwagon had ended there, with group five venturing into stage musical territory. Group seven did the same, picking a song from another musical Group six broke the trend with an old Katy Perry song called Chained to The Rhythm, somehow creating a routine that had some unidentifiable theme with it.

The information all went into neatly sorted areas in Fitz's mind as he approached the second staircase on his route. If he had a choice, he would have retreated into his mind to go through more mental files and such, but Lark would begin to wonder where he was, and that wouldn't be a positive way to start the date.

Lark must have been waiting for him now, already dressed and ready, sitting with her maids or quietly reading a book as she did so, not having a clue or idea in the slightest about what she would be doing. She wouldn't know that at that very moment, Jadie was helping Patricia and Grant unload the animals from their crates for when Fitz came back with a hopefully surprised selected by his side.

Did the path to the hallway always take this long to navigate? It was going to be time for them to go on the Hawaii trip by the time he actually reached her room. The last set of corridors was now in sight, Fitz almost to an area where he could reach her room by doing nothing but run through a few walls.

At last, his footsteps took him to where he needed to be. He raised an arm to knock on the door to her room and stepped back to patiently wait for one of the maids to open it. It took a few seconds, but one eventually did, and her immediate response was to call back into the room to inform Lark of his arrive. "Lady Lark! Prince Fitz is finally here to get you," said the maid.

"T-tell him I'm coming," came the quiet reply from inside the room. The maid looked to Fitz to make sure he had heard her. "She'll be out soon," Another maid was carrying a basket of laundry down the hall behind them, and he could hear them softly singing to themselves as they moved along. The selected hallways were often filled with maids going about their business and completing various tasks for the comfort of the girls they were waiting on.

Lark arrived at the door with her pale blonde hair in an intricate hairstyle, a long braid that trailed down her back with ribbons intertwined within it and a headband firmly secured over her head. The evergreen dress she wore went down a few centimeters past her knees, modest with a practical neckline and short sleeves, a pair of thin tights and ballet flats finishing her look by being visible underneath the green dress. She wore no makeup, though that was expected with her.

"I've decided that the activity for the date will be a surprise. I think you'll like it, we'll be going down to the gardens," said Fitz. He and Lark began to make their way back down the hallway, the blonde haired girl quietly focusing on what was in front of her as they walked. She shyly smiled up at him with a quick turn of her head when a change in hallways let her do so.

Eventually, they made it back down all of the stairs and through all of the hallways that Fitz had journeyed through to get to Lark. His mind continued to sort information about Lark and the others as they walked. It was becoming natural for his thoughts to run away with him as he did something as easy as walking.

Patricia, Grant, and Jadie were waiting for them outside of the door when Lark and Fitz arrived. The animals were nowhere in sight, potentially being kept somewhere farther away in the greenness of the garden, and Grant and Patricia had been smart enough to move the van. It wasn't exactly that giant of a surprise to make doing that worthwhile, they were only bringing one of the selected to interact with animals she had demonstrated an affinity for previously.

"Hello, Lady Lark! I'm Grant. This is my colleague, Patricia. We're here to make sure everything goes smoothly," explained Grant. Lark had a puzzled expression on her face, her pale blue eyes searching their surroundings for what the date might entail.

Jadie cleared her throat. "Follow me. If we're going to get started before winter sets in, we should get moving, Prince Fitz," said Jadie, obviously quite irritated with how long it was taking for them to get started. Half the date's set time had already been taken up by the walking to get Lark.

The group followed Jadie down the cobblestone path with rushed steps as the irritated woman power-walked ahead. Her black curls could be seen moving in the breeze from behind her, but she was getting farther and farther away from them every second, causing Fitz to motion to Lark and pick up his pace to outwalk Patricia and Grant. Lark nervously fixed the hem of her dress. Fitz thought that she might have been worried about her dress not being fitting for the activity, but it was fine. They didn't need to interact with the dogs to the point of wearing special clothes.

"T-That's not…? Is It?" said Lark timidly, spotting a moving shape up in front of them.

A large Alaskan Malamute was bounding up the path towards them, Jadie jumping out of it's way as it made a beeline towards Grant and Patricia. Three others dogs, a German Shepard and two Goldens, were padding happily behind their thick-furred comrade. The Malamute ran up to Grant and eagerly jumped up to lick the face of the adoption agency worker, making Grant laugh.

"Lady Lark, meet Akila. Prince Fitz organized for us to come with four of our dogs at the agency to let you walk them and stuff. The German shepherd is named Bailey, and the golden retrievers are called Lilli and Lester. Do you want to introduce yourself to them?" asked Grant.

Lark shyly nodded and moved up to be closer to the bright-eyed Akila, whose eyes were sparkling with curiosity about this new person. She held a hand out for Akila to sniff with her eyes staying on the dog. Akila padded over and sniffed her before licking her hand with a large doggy grin, her tail waving faster than the speed of light as she let Lark pet her and scratch her behind the ears.

"She likes you. Fitz, here, come say hello to Bailey," said Patricia. She had attached leashes to all four dogs, ready to let Lark handle Akila and Lilli while Fitz took Bailey and Lester, but signalled for Bailey to go up to Fitz and sniff him.

Fitz stretched out his own hand with some reservation as the powerful canine approached him. Bailey's pink tongue hung out of her mouth and let tiny droplets of saliva drip off of it. The dog's wet nose came into contact with his palm, sniffing him to see if he was friendly, before Bailey's tail started to wag with just as much fervor as Akila's had with Lark. A loud bark made Fitz jump, turning to see Lark stroking both Akila and Lilli.

"We're going to let you take a few laps around the gardens with them. They'll be focused as long as you don't try to introduce them to new people, so don't let the guards or gardeners go near them. Lady Lark knows what she's doing," remarked Grant, handing the leashes off to Lark and Fitz with a friendly smile.

He took the two colorful leashes like they were bombs primed to explode, disguised as dogs to lure any unwary passerby into petting them. Fitz was more worried about Bailey trying to run too far ahead of Lester and tugging Fitz himself off balance, or the dogs trying to get to one of the guards and getting injured by one thinking it was under attack. Mainly, he just didn't want Lark to think he was someone who didn't like dogs.

When she saw him handling them the wrong way, she might end up being unhappy with his dog-walking prowess, something he might have been confident in if he hadn't had to make sure two dogs didn't get into any mischief. Believe or not, Fitz had walked a dog before.

"So, Lady Lark, were you surprised? I hope you're pleased with the result," said Fitz, smiling down at the short blonde girl next to him. They had started walking away from Patricia, Jadie, and Grant, all three of which were now discussing something in a small circle. The dogs were a few lengths in front of Fitz and Lark because of the magic of the extendable leashes that had been provided.

She quietly nodded and glanced at him before turning back to watch Akila and Lilli. Lark seemed happy enough, still quiet and refraining from initiating conversation, but at least she seemed to like the activity chosen. She looked at the dogs, especially Akila, as if they were better companions than most humans were. That was probably true at times. A musher's assistant was naturally inclined to feel comfortable with those animals rather than human beings.

Bailey had begun to stretch the leash to full capacity, the german shepherd seeing something that must have been interesting in front of it and straining to go investigate. Fitz could appreciate curiosity, though he wasn't expecting to find it in a dog that wanted to be a detective.

Lark noticed how Bailey was straining the leash. She furrowed her brow and pressed a button on her leash to make sure the length couldn't be extended or subtracted while it was pushed down before putting them both in one hand, moving closer to Fitz so she could show him how to better control the two dogs he was walking with her other hand extended and ready for use.

"Here. Don't give it as much room for wandering off, have a firmer hold that lets Bailey know you're the alpha," whispered Lark, making sure he held it tighter. "Tug it gently but firmly so she'll move closer to you. Right now, she thinks that she's the one walking you,".

Fitz nodded and adjusted his hold, tugging it gently so Bailey was reined in closer to his position. Lark shyly smiled before putting one of the leashes she held back into the hand she had freed to assist him in his dog-walking. The breeze caused the wisps that were falling out of her braid to stir and flutter about in the air. He could tell that she kept pulling Akila back, and that she kept moving Lilli so she stopped trying to get into the flowerbeds.

"Is that what you do? Being the alpha with your sled dogs?" inquired Fitz. He was curious about how the world of dog sledding would work with one being having complete control over the pack's motions, a leader that was obviously in charge issuing commands. It seemed a bit harsh on the dogs.

"I-I guess, but it's different. In a way, I mean," replied Lark. Her eyes flickered up to where the dogs were before they went back to Fitz. He wasn't sure what her answer was supposed to mean, but it must have made sense to any intelligent person who really understood dogs and canine social interactions. Maybe picking up a book on it at one of the two libraries in the palace could be to his eventual advantage.

They walked in silence for a short time before completing their first lap around the gardens, seeing the group of Grant, Patricia, and Jadie still talking to each other in their circle. Fitz had a hard time keeping Bailey from trying to run all the way back to Grant and Patricia. The troublesome dog kept tugging on the leash and moving in different patterns that made it hard to maneuver the leash without getting it tangled around her legs and body.

She relaxed when they were farther away from the people she knew, but Bailey still seemed determined to cause trouble by darting over to every flower, object, and butterfly that came in her line of vision. Even if a stray leaf blew by in the wind, still green, she would go chasing after it like it was the canine equivalent of his middle triplet and some kind of chance to go outside. Following after it like it was their lifeline and only escape.

"Do you want me to take her?" asked Lark, still quiet as she walked with Lilli and Akila. Fitz shook his head. Then she'd be walking three dogs, and he'd look rather incompetent in the eyes of whoever was watching the date progress.

"No, but thank you. She just needs to stop being distracted," replied Fitz. Lark softly smiled and watched Bailey tilt her head at a passing dragonfly that had happened upon the place where the dog was in it's flight path. At least the german shepard didn't bark, it would have caused half the palace to run outside and see whether the commotion was another rebel attack set to cause havoc and ruin upon the people and objects of the palace itself.

It was a wonderful feeling just be walking in the garden with Lark and the dogs, especially when they obediently trotted along the path in front of them without meandering away after butterflies. The only sad part about it was that it would eventually have to end.

They were reaching the end of their third lap when Fitz saw that the circle that had consisted of Jadie, Grant, and Patricia had disbanded. Jadie was now standing with her clipboard a few feet away from Grant and Patricia, who were both unloading the crates for the dogs out of the van again and participating in light conversation while they poured out dog food into small circular bowls. Bailey began tugging Fitz towards them with a happily wagging tail.

"Bailey, sit. Good girl!" said Fitz. Lark had taught him the command by telling Lilli to do it halfway through the third lap when the golden dog got distracted by an unsuspecting squirrel. She looked surprised when he used it on Bailey, but quietly smiled when he patted Bailey's head.

Grant walked over to them with a wide smile on his face."Prince Fitz! Lady Lark! Here, I can take the dogs from you now. Did you two have a good walk?" said Grant, Patricia following closely behind him like they were connected by an invisible rope. Fitz handed off the leashes, but a slight tinge of regret filled him, which was probably to be expected after finally getting the dogs to do what he wanted them to.

"Yes. It was enjoyable, actually. I have a wonderful time walking with Lark, and the dogs are well-mannered most of the time, I really do hope this helps your organization with publicity," replied Fitz. Grant nodded and smiled in return, assuring him that it most definitely would help.

Fitz turned to Lark and smiled at her. She seemed to have enjoyed the walk as well, even though their conversation hadn't been the most talking he'd ever experienced, but that could be a good thing. Her actions were speaking more than her words. It also helped that Larkin Thatcher seemed to be adjusting to being comfortable around him, too, and she might start talking to him one of these days if he had enough luck.

"Would you like me to walk you back up to your room?" asked Fitz, smiling once again with Lark nodded in reply. After checking with Jadie to make sure she was okay with it, Fitz and Lark took off back on the journey upstairs. He told no one, but he may have decided to take the long way up.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This took much longer to write than I had wanted it to, but being sick is never any fun, and it definitely eats away at the writing part of my brain. I think I'm mostly recovered now, so back to writing I go! I hope everyone enjoyed the date. It started a little slower than would be ideal, but that's not very important in the grand scheme of things, and I was able to release it. If everyone is getting tired of the performance, I can always cut one of the chapter rotations, but I'd need to know sooner than later.**

 **Remember to leave a review if you have commentary on the chapter or on the entire story! They really do make me happy.**


	34. Oatmeal Cookies on the Roof

**Prince Sam's POV**

Night had fallen in the palace. Stars twinkled up above the large building, the moon bright and full with it's light illuminating the rooftop. A slight rustle of the leaves in the garden came when the breeze blew through. The guards patrolling the outskirts of the palace walls were vigilant and alert, eyes searching for any sign of movement, still wary after the recent attack. Everything was enveloped with a tranquil, serene peace.

Except in Sam's room. That definitely wasn't peaceful and serene, starting when the ticking clock hands struck midnight on the big grandfather clock in the hallway.

"Sam! Hey, your royal highness, wake up," A dark shape ducked through the window and was standing over Sam's bed, looking around the room to make sure no one else was there, finally bending down and whispering to the sleeping prince.

Little did the figure know that Illea's youngest prince wasn't completely asleep. Sam was trying to make himself sleep by closing his eyes and burying his face into his pillow. This, however, meant that he still wasn't expecting to have a visitor and freaked out even more than he would have if he had actually been sleeping soundly with his mind frolicking in the happy world of dreams.

"Holy mother of cheesecakes!" yelped Sam, kicking off his covers and assuming a battle stance against his mysterious intruder. A battle stance meant that he got tangled in his blankets, fell out of the bed, floundered around to try to find something to use as a weapon, and eventually got even more tangled in his blanket cocoon while on the floor holding one of Jadie's massive selected binders.

He couldn't see who the mysterious figure was, but the laugh that came after his epic fail was familiar. "Great battle cry. It's just me, didn't we agree on meeting tonight? Looks like you forgot," said an even more recognizable voice with sarcasm and teasing words that made Sam think of better times.

Once he was able to untangle himself from the blankets, and his eyes finally accepted the darkness, he could see who the intruder was. Pandora D'Aboville was standing with her arms crossed next to his bed. She was dressed in a t-shirt and ripped jeans, a jacket wrapped around her, and her favorite beanie was jammed onto her head to keep it warm. It was obvious that she hadn't taken the easier route of just wearing her pajamas.

"Dory. I mean, Pandora. How the heck did you get in here?" asked Sam. He used his dresser to pull himself off of the floor so he could stand closer to Pandora's height. She was taller than him, but it didn't really bother him most of the time.

Pandora laughed again. Her face flickered when he corrected himself to call her Pandora instead of Dory, but she shrugged it off and gestured towards the open window. A faint breeze was blowing through it and was making some of the cluttered papers he had no use for that were stacked on his unused desk blow around a bit. The ends fluttered about like they were trying to take flight. "But how?" Her hand motions hadn't been enough of an explanation.

"I climbed. I was on the roof and thought about climbing down, but I figured I could get a good climb in if you had forgotten about it. The palace walls are easy to scale, actually. You've heard that before from me," replied Pandora. Sam walked over to the window and looked down at the ground two stories below.

"But the guards. They could have shot you or something. Sheesh, you're going to get yourself in a whole lot of trouble if Jadie ever finds out," said Sam, making Pandora shake her head in disapproval. "She won't. It's fine, I'm fast enough that they couldn't get me. Ready to head up to the roof?" She asked. Sam looked down at his pajamas, which consisted of an old undershirt and some torn-up flannel pants.

He wordlessly darted over to his closet to grab a jacket, thinking twice and taking some ripped jeans out of a pile on the ground when he looked outside again. The bathroom was lit for just a second so he could get his pants facing the right way before he flicked the switch off and returned to the main part of his room. Pandora was doing some investigating as she waited. She was looking over some of the papers on his desk, her face twisted into a neutral expression before she saw him.

"That was quick. Come on, let's go," said Pandora, moving towards the window as if she expected him to climb up to the roof with her. Sam shook his head when she looked back towards him. "Nope. I'm not climbing. Never been good at it, never will be," replied Sam. This caused her to sigh and shake her head.

"Then how do you suggest we get up to the roof? We can't use the hallways, you dolt, they'll be swarming with guards if we even breath too loudly," Pandora scowled and crossed her arms again. She'd forgotten about another mode of transportation. Sam grinned.

He walked over to the wall with a swagger in his step, Pandora watching him as he went, and used his foot to kick open a panel in the wall. It swung open with a quiet thud against the narrow passageway hidden behind it. Sam could smell the fresh air that blew into it from a grate on one of the walls, and could hear the sounds of whatever was happening far away in the palace because of the air ducts and pipes that were connected into it.

"Secret passageways. Looks like you forgot," said Sam, mocking her earlier taunt. Pandora whacked him on the arm before laughing. "I did. Lead the way, your royal highness, I obviously don't remember the way up to the roof," she replied.

Sam grinned. He ducked into the passageway and motioned for Pandora to follow him, which she did. It was kind of a tight fit, but he could still walk normally without turning sideways and having to walk like a crab. Pandora made sure to secure the panel behind them.

Not many people knew about the secret passageways hidden in the palace walls, but Sam had discovered them at an early age and had used them for pranks and things ever since. They had originally been created for the guards and to protect against rebels, eventually being forgotten through time, and were one reason that the walls of the palace were really thick. Pipes and air vents were connected to them just in case the guards using them had to do some investigating.

There were one or two passages that actually lead out of the palace, both going into Angeles, and Sam had used them both to get Pandora in and out of the palace when they were dating two years ago. His favorites were the one that lead down to the kitchen, always great for grabbing a late night snack under the nose of the cooks, and the one that went to a blocked-off storage room. He called it the Sam Cave.

The path up to the roof was long enough that it took five minutes or so to get up there. Sam lead Pandora through a number of twists and turns, taking her up stairs and halting when he heard movement in one of the rooms that an air vent could cause their sound to travel to whoever was in there. Pandora stayed quiet the entire trip, which Sam was grateful for. He had a hard enough time remembering important things even without being distracted.

They finally reached the trapdoor that opened up on the roof. Sam, bending down so he could jump up and open it, turned around to smile at Pandora. She nodded, figuring out that they were almost to their destination. He pushed the trapdoor open with the force of his jump and hoisted himself out to be on the roof.

"You brought up food!" exclaimed Sam. Pandora must have stolen from the kitchens earlier, the small bag of snacks that was propped up against the wall seemed to be bursting at the seams, and no one could have gotten that many snacks by simply asking for them. The cooks in the kitchen could be notoriously hard-hearted after they'd been pranked a few times by someone.

She climbed out of the trapdoor and closed it with her foot. "Yeah. I figured you'd get hungry while we were talking," replied Pandora, strands of her blonde hair and hidden rainbow under strands blowing in the rooftop wind.

After a short pause, Pandora plopped down on the roof near the edge, finding a spot where the stone wall wasn't preventing anyone from falling and letting her legs dangle over the long drop to the ground. Sam followed her and warily glanced over the edge. "Relax. You won't fall, you've done this before," said Pandora, noticing his nervousness about sitting near the edge. "That was before I was volunteering to get pushed off a balcony," responded Sam.

"You did what? We can talk about that later," She looked confused and slightly amused, but also seemed like she wanted to get down to business. He had asked her to come up here for a reason. Sam was nervous about what she might ask, though this was the best way to get rid of the awkward tension due to the questions they both had for each other after they had parted for so long.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Sam's mind was reeling, and he was still very on edge about this whole thing. Having her in the selection, that was the thing. Not anything else. He felt like his mind could annoy himself sometimes, if that was even possible, it was so mixed up.

"I've missed you, Pandora. I was an idiot," whispered Sam, breaking the silence. It had been so long since they had done this, it felt alien to sit in a close distance with her. The soda and stack of oatmeal cookies she had taken out of her bag sat between them like a barrier.

Electric blue eyes with longer lower lashes looked back at him in agreement. "You were. But why? And please, if you're going to call me Pandora, try to keep it to a minimum," replied Pandora. Sam squirmed and glanced down at his hands. He hadn't thought about it being weird after him calling her Dory for so long.

"I guess I just got bored. I realized after the fact that it would hurt to do that, that it wasn't just something I could do while you were gone because I wanted to be with someone. She was there, you weren't, I was impulsive and stupid. And, Dory, it was horrible having to mix my mistake. You weren't the only one who was furious with me that night, I can say that," he said.

"Ha. Serves you right. But was I not pretty enough? Did she have something that I didn't? Be honest, or I won't let you eat any cookies," said Pandora. She started off into the distant lights of Angeles as if she was trying to spot the place they had first met, behind the club where she had been working on her art and had saved him with a makeshift blow torch from some angry guys after he had flirted with the wrong girl.

Those had been good times. Pandora and him had been so similar, they had hit it off right away, and he had been delighted to find someone that he liked that much. She was awesome. Bold, with less of a filter than most people, always willing to try new things and take the plunge. Pranks had been wonderful by her side, like the fun had been increased, and just being around her would make Sam feel happy and less like he was being a stupid loser.

He wanted cookies, so he decided to answer honestly. "No. You were, and still are, amazingly pretty to me. She was just in the right place at the right time, and I tried to take advantage of that. I haven't dated anyone since you, I've only flirted and stuff. I realized how horrible of a person I had been to you after I actually tried to think it through for once," replied Sam.

Pandora passed him a stack of oatmeal cookies and ate one of her own. Her beanie made her hair stay mostly down, the ends fluttering about, but at least she wasn't getting her hair styled by the wind like Sam was. It was sticking in way too many direction to count and was an absolute mess of brown tangles. It would have helped to do something with it before he had come up here, but Sam obviously wasn't smart enough to think of that.

"I think I can forgive you, I did get to punch you in the face. I've missed you too, Sam," She said, turning to look at him with her bright blue eyes. Sam smiled, and she returned it with a larger one of her own. "Just don't do it again,"

"I won't," promised Sam. He wasn't sure what counted with the whole selection thing happening, but he was mostly sure that taking the other selected on dates because he had to and because he might fall in love with someone else didn't count as cheating. At least, it didn't seem like it was in his mind. Would it be the same for Pandora? It was kind of hard to figure that out.

For what seemed like too short a time, Pandora and Sam sat together on the roof without talking. Sam felt happy as he munched on cookies and sipped his soda, laughing whenever Pandora tossed a few crumbs over the side and accidently caused one of the guards to look up. They spent about another hour up on the roof, eventually talking and having some words about what they'd been doing for the past two years, when Sam started to get tired.

"Do you need to go back inside? We've been up here for awhile, Sammy, you look like you might be about to fall off the roof," said Pandora, sitting up from her position where she had been gently leaning her head against him. He started to protest, but she gave him a sharp look.

"Just because we're together now doesn't mean you can fall asleep up here and expect Jadie to let us ever see each other again when she finds you in the morning. It may not seem like it, but you're heavier than I am," continued Pandora. It was probably time to give up, as he did feel like he could close his eyes and drift off into the sweet world of sleep at any second now.

"Fine. But can I take you on a date in the next month? Maybe in Hawaii? Or at least see you and do stuff with you in a group," said Sam. She nodded. "Maybe do the group activity thing first. You already know me, you don't know them, spend some time with the others and see who you like. I'll be here for when you're ready. If you really need to see me, there's probably a passage into my room," replied Pandora.

"That sounds good. Can I have some cookies for the road?" asked Sam, eyes going all wide and innocent in an attempt to win more of the delicious snacks from Pandora. Thankfully, she laughed and handed him a stack when she packed up the bag.

"Here. Down the trapdoor with you, Sammy," She said, opening it and making him slide down first. It seemed even colder in the passageway than it did on the roof, if that was even possible. Pandora slid down after him and closed the lid. She stopped for a second to make sure it was fastened securely shut before tapping him so he would walk forwards. He had to make sure they got back to the right place, to his room first since she could climb back to her's.

They were about halfway to his room when they heard voice through a nearby vent. They must have been walking alongside one of the hallways that was often patrolled by the guards, from what Sam could here. Pandora whacked him upside the head, hard, to make him stop moving.

"I could have sworn I heard something through the wall. Max, did you hear that? I'm going to check the vent," said the voice of a guard, gruff and deep with accompanying words from a guard that must have been named Max. He told the guy who was checking the vent to be quick about it, and Sam could hear footsteps coming towards where he and Pandora were stopped.

"Move!" whispered Pandora, hearing the footsteps, shoving him in one direction while she went the other, "Go out into the hallway when you get far away enough from them! If you see anyone, tell them you were getting a late night snack and show them the cookies. Goodnight, Sam, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast!"

Pandora shoved him in the opposite direction from her and fled back the way they'd come, Sam looking back towards her retreating form as he hurried along the passage to where he thought an exit would be. He walked for what seemed like forever until he reached an exit he recognized, the only problem with it being that it was in the same wing of the palace as the rooms of the selection.

It couldn't go that badly, which was why Sam cautiously opened it with a hard push and stepped out into what seemed like an annoyingly bright hallway. He still had the cookies clenched in his left hand. If he went right, he'd be able to get back to his room without traveling on any well-patrolled guard routes, and could return to his room within ten minutes if he wasn't interrupted. Sam began to quietly walk down the hallway.

Everything went fine until he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, Sam began to panic when he saw what looked like two selected girls coming towards him from the direction he was heading. It looked like it was Kinsey and Jessica, an extremely mismatched pair, not talking and probably just walking because they'd stumbled upon each other in the halls.

Kinsey spotted him first, and did a double take. "Prince Sam? Is that you?" She asked, peering through what must have been dark to her eyes. Jessica squinted too, and nodded when she made sure that it was him. Kinsey walked closer to him with Jessica following her.

"What're you doing out here this late? We both weren't able to sleep and ran into each other a few minutes ago. Why do you have cookies?" inquired Kinsey, still in her pajamas with her red hair tied back in a ponytail holder. Jessica had her hair down, and looked like she hadn't even been trying to sleep when she'd decided to take a walk. They were people he wouldn't have seen together usually. He wasn't even sure if they had talked to each other before tonight.

"Late night snack run. See? Well, I'd better be getting back to my room. See you tomorrow!" said Sam. He began to slowly edge away from the girls towards the direction of his room, or at least somewhere where he could get back into the passageways for a people-free journey.

"Um, okay. Bye?" said Kinsey, clearly confused as she looked towards Jessica for some sort of clarification. Jessica merely shrugged and Kinsey was forced to walk with her in the opposite direction from where Sam was heading. Checking to make sure they weren't coming back, Sam glanced over his shoulder. He saw that they both had their backs firmly turned against him and he sprinted down the hallway before they might turn around again.

In a matter of minutes, Sam had ducked backed into a passage and used it to get back to his room, where he was relieved to see was devoid of a furious Jadie. Kinsey and Jessica didn't tell on him. Or they didn't have time to, either option worked for Sam.

He quickly got back into his pajama pants and removed his jackets. Sam was just about to flop down on his bed and hit the hay when he saw a folded up piece of paper sitting on his pillow. Frowning, he picked it up and carefully unfolded it so he wouldn't damage it.

It was a note from Pandora. Sam read it out loud, quietly, under his breath so no one passing by outside could hear it. "Sam- Sorry we had to split ways, but I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow. You can always use the passageways and get a note to me if you want to head up on the roof to talk, I'll always be ready for you if you need me at any time. Pandora,"

Smiling, Sam folded the note back up and pocketed it. He collapsed onto his bed and sunk happily into the cozy sheets, still slightly warm, and his head pressed against the wonderfully fluffy pillow that had been the resting place for his face only a few hours before.

It wasn't long before he drifted off into a deep slumber.

He dreamed about oatmeal cookies.

And about secret passageways with cobwebs in them.

It didn't even seem like it had been any time at all when Sam woke up. The only difference was the sunlight that he could see streaming through the window out of the corner of his eye, and the sound of birds and other things outside the window. His mind took longer than the rest of him to come back to the surface world of awareness, but he was already feeling less tired than he usually was when he first awakened in the morning.

Sam untangled himself from the sheet and sat on the edge of his bed, trying to figure out what time it was. When the checked the clock, he panicked when he saw that breakfast would start in less then five minutes. Jadie was going to kill him! At least he now knew why he wasn't feeling tired.

Rushing to his closet, Sam quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a respectable shirt, even though it would still look shabby compared to the day dresses of the selected he was going to eat with. He grabbed a jacket and some socks as an afterthought. Hopefully the jacket would make him look a little less informal when Jadie saw him because he would be even deader if he was caught late and in messy clothing, and that definitely wouldn't improve his day.

He finally deemed himself presentable. Sam hurried out of his room and down the stairs, hoping that he could get to the dining area in time, attracting some strange looks from the maids and palace staff in the hallways. They quickly went back to their business when they caught him looking, though.

It was a good thing he didn't encounter many people on his way to breakfast, he was nearly late as it was. Sam burst into the room and slid into his seat just as Jadie walked through the doors. She gave him a harsh look, but didn't lecture him on it. He caught Pandora's eye, and she smiled in return. Maybe, just maybe, this selection would work out to be pretty darn awesome with Pandora D'Aboville in it.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Here's a chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed Pandora and Sam's nighttime escapade, and the brief appearance of Jessica and Kinsey. Next chapter should be less centered around one girl. Remember to review if you liked this chapter or if you just like the story in general!**


	35. Travelers of the Tunnels

**Prince Luke's POV**

Lunch wasn't Luke's favorite meal of the day, but it was definitely one of the more interesting meals. Putting Sam in a room with food, the selected, Luke, and Fitz was never going to be a good idea, especially when Jadie had to leave to work on her briefing for the Hawaii trip. Luke was just hoping at this point that the youngest of the triplets wouldn't try to start a pun-off with one of the girls.

The closest thing they had to adult supervision was Fitz, and possibly a few of the girls that were seated near him. Atlantis Washington and Sterling Everett were two of the more down-to-earth members of the selected. It also didn't hurt that they both made Luke feel a bit insignificant, with Atlantis's graceful sophistication and Sterling's very famous, very dead relative. Either of them could have made a better royal than he was.

"And, so, like I was saying, I completely ended up hitting myself in the head with the bowling ball!" said Sam, waving his arms around to punctuate his point. This had to be the eighth time he had told this story, and while it might have been funny, Luke was sure that the girls who hadn't been on dates yet weren't enjoying the reminder that Mae had already been out with Sam.

Sophea, however, seemed to be trying a different approach than pouting and wishing it was her. She leaned forwards to be closer to Sam and batted her hazel eyes at him. "That sounds hilarious! Tell me more," She said, her voice almost a purr. Luke wanted to laugh when he saw Kinsey's face of pure disgust towards Sophea.

Sam began telling Sophea more about the times he'd been comically stupid. Evangeline, shooting Sophea a look that meant war, widened her eyes and tossed her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. It wasn't long before the two girls were attempting to out do each other. Sam must have been in the mood for being a flirtatious piece of spider droppings today, looking like he was actually enjoying this.

Towards the other end of the table, Luke could hear Fitz talking to the girls around him. "Correct. Stella, you've been to some of the historical sights in Paloma, haven't you? They seem to have done quite a nice job in preserving them over the last few decades or so." He saw Stella nod and immediately reply.

"They have. It's a wonderfully well-kept area, you should really see some of the pre-Illea relics," replied Stella. If she and Fitz were going to spend the rest of lunch talking about history in Paloma, it was going to be up to Luke to find someone else's conversation to listen too. He felt like he already knew enough about history and provinces and things like that to give a whole lecture on it to the members of the selected and a few others.

Thankfully, Jadie returned to the room and he didn't have to eavesdrop any longer. "Is everyone done? Finish up, please, I'll explain what's going to happen next as you do that," announced the planner. Some of the girls began to wolf down food with as much grace as they could manage.

One of the girls closest to Luke seemed to be doing the opposite. Jillian Oxford had barely touched her plate, and was staring down at it like she wasn't really seeing what it was. He could tell that she was upset about something, though he had no clue what it was, something bad enough to make her lose her appetite entirely. Maybe it was different for girls, but that never happened with Luke unless he was feeling terrible. Food was the last thing to go.

"Jillian, are you okay?" asked Luke, frowning as he extended his neck out to fully see her. She nodded in reply. If she didn't want to tell him what was wrong, that was fine, but the overly enthusiastic swaying of her ponytail when Jillian nodded told a different story.

Jadie caught him talking to her and swooped down like the avenging shadow of death. "Jillian, try to eat! You need to keep your strength up. Luke, I've got a special task for you to do when we get to the complex, but I'll let you walk down there with whoever you want to. I can find you at the studios later," said Jadie. Luke heard what she said and acted like he had heard her, but he was really too worried about Jillian to listen.

As soon as she had walked away to get the girls out of their seats, Luke found himself staring at Jillian in an attempt to figure out what could be making her sad. Jillian's skin was always this pale. Her hooded brown eyes didn't look red or anything like they would be if she was sick, or crying, so that was good. Was she looking nervously towards Jadie, or was that just his imagination?

He was still watching her when she exited the room in a cluster of the others. It didn't seem like this would be a good situation to ask Jadie about, if she really had been worried about something involving Jadie, and telling someone about something she might have wanted to keep private was also bad.

"Luke? I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to the studios. The last ferry is going to be leaving soon," said Maisynn from behind him. He turned to see the blonde-haired three nervously smiling at him in her blue day dress. Maisynn's prosthetic hand was tucked in the pocket of the dress like she was trying to hide it.

"Of course! Should we go now?" he smiled back at Maisynn, and she seemed to relax a little. It would be nice to spend a few minutes with her. Maisynn had been one of the girls who had appeared to be more similar to him during the meetings, probably the only one who he hadn't had to introduce himself to after Fitz took care of that for him. He might have just been trying to leave, but Luke appreciated the gesture anyways.

She gave him a wider, less anxious smile. "I think so," Maisynn replied. Luke pushed in his chair and they began walking down the hallway. Maisynn knew where she was going, which was a good thing, and lead them both to where a pair of waiting guards were standing.

"Lady Maisynn, Prince Luke. Follow me," said one of the guards. Maisynn glanced at Luke before they both followed the guard through a side door that he'd never been through before. The other guard wasn't far behind them, tailing them to make sure they weren't ambushed or kidnapped.

The first guard lead them to a flight of stairs leading down into a dark passageway lit by flickering electric lights, the wires connecting the circuit exposed on the ceiling and walls. Luke couldn't see the end of the tunnel.

He knew that the tunnel, though the guards and Jadie might have thought that it was, wasn't actually one of the numerous secret passageways of the palace. Luke had found them and explored them before, Sam being the only other one in the palace who knew about the real ones along with whoever he'd showed. Sam had no idea that Luke knew about the secret passageways that were hidden throughout the palace.

The guard lead the way down the stairs. Maisynn gulped as they descended into the unknown, Luke feeling slightly scared himself. He silently reached out a hand and took Maisynn's normal hand in his, quickly looking at her before looking around the tunnel when they reached the end of the stairs. Her fingers felt warm and reassuring in his cold, less helpful grip.

"Here's the ferry. Keep your legs and arms inside, stay seated, and don't do anything that could endanger anyone around you," said the guard. The ferry, an enclosed trolley-like thing with barely enough room for four people to sit comfortably, was waiting for them a few feet away. The rail underneath it could be heard hissing with electricity, the rail above doing the same. The outside of the transport was a rusted metal that made Luke a bit panicky.

It was cramped when he ducked to get inside, Maisynn sitting next to him with her hand still wrapped inside his. One of the guards followed them while the other stayed outside to turn the thing on. Luke had never known about the secret transportation system under the palace, but when they started to move extremely fast and the guard they'd left behind wasn't visible, he could see a series of tunnels that meant this was something more important than it seemed to be.

Electricity could be heard on the rails as they traveled in silence. They were going so fast, they'd probably be at the studio in a matter of minutes, which was good because Maisynn was counting the fingers of her right hand in a nervous gesture. Luke himself was feeling a little anxious about the safety of the ferry.

At last, the wonderful moment came when the ferry slowed to a screeching halt. He didn't hesitate to leave the transport and take Maisynn with him up another flight of stairs to the surface. The guard was still following behind them. He was at a farther distance than before because the need to send the ferry back, something that gave Maisynn the opportunity to take the lead when they were in the secret studio complex closet exit of the tunnels.

"I'm glad that's over," remarked Luke. Maisynn giggled and took the lead as they entered the dance rehearsal space so they could find the costume fitting room while still in one piece.

Luke followed Maisynn down the hallway. She seemed to know where she was going, which was a good thing, but he wasn't sure if the costume fitting would be in her usual studio. They might have been doing them altogether in one room, that was more likely when considering Jadie's need to get everything done as efficiently as possible. Following Maisynn was still a better idea until he knew what was going on.

Footsteps from another junction made Maisynn stop in her tracks and turn around, making Luke do the same. Abrielle was walking towards them in a purposeful manner. He smiled at seeing her, glad that it was her coming to save them and not Jadie, and she waved to them.

"Hello, Maisynn, Luke. I'm supposed to bring you to the main studio for the costume fitting, is there anyone else coming after you?" asked Abrielle, turning so she was in step with them as their path was changed in the direction of the main studio.

He shook his head. "No. I think we were the last ones. Is everyone else in the room already? Are we late?" Luke felt some panic coming on and nervously looked from Abrielle to Maisynn. Both of them were looking like they weren't going to tear the other to shreds, not that people as nice as they were would do something like that, and he was relieved to see that they got along.

"No, they've separated some of the girls out for other things. Everyone has just waited their turn and then tried on everything they need to, each group for the main dance routines has a set time they had to be there and then they could leave," replied Abrielle. Maisynn nodded in agreement. Was Luke the only one who had missed out on the fitting schedule?

It did make a little sense that they would know and he wouldn't. After all, they were participating and he was only going to get to hover outside of the room to try to catch pieces of the conversations going on inside. He probably wouldn't even get to see the costumes themselves until it was time for the dress rehearsals.

When they came upon the room, Abrielle and Maisynn went to step inside, while Luke stopped moving and stood against the wall. The girls both seemed confused to why he wasn't joining them, then Abrielle seemed like she had remembered the rules of the fitting.

No princes allowed, because of the changing and measurements. No bringing food or drink of any kind inside the room. You get what you get and you don't get upset, probably for when different colors of the costume were available. Don't wander off, stay in your designated time zone and try on all of your costumes inside that window. Most importantly, do whatever the assistants tell you to do.

The only reason he knew the rules was because he'd been given a spare packet by Jadie yesterday, one of the ones identical to what the girls carried. It listed the entire schedule for all of the rehearsals. That was the main reason she had given it to him, Jadie must have been tired of the three of them asking her question after question about the rehearsals.

"Luke! Good, I'm glad you're here. I have a very important job for you. Follow me!" said Jadie, walking up to him in her neon-colored heels and gesturing for him to follow her. Luke had to sprint to keep up with her when she turned an unexpected corner. "Hurry!" She called back to him.

Jadie brought him to one of the offices. It had a cozy feeling to it, a wooden desk with a padded office chair taking up most of the space, a houseplant and a lamp the only other features in the room. The desk was covered with lists and what looked like pictures of the costumes for the jazz routines, along with some other magazine clippings he couldn't see very well.

"Sit here. I want you to pick the colors for each girl's costume. Lists of the girls are there, a chart for you to fill out is in that corner, and I'll come back for you in twenty minutes or so," instructed Jadie. She was already turning to leave the room when her words reached his ears.

Before he could protest about being shoved into the workforce, Jadie was gone and he was all alone. This wasn't exactly what he had been expecting to do today. If he was here, he might as well do it, because keeping Jadie happy was more important than whatever he might have been able to do while he waited outside the room by himself with no plans and no inkling of a creative thought.

Luke sighed and moved to sit down behind the desk. A few papers toppled to the floor, causing him to scramble to pick them up so they wouldn't get misplaced. The desk seemed to be covered in so many papers it looked like a cloud had just came by and dumped a blizzard's worth of paper snowflakes onto it with less care about what they were doing than Sam usually showed about his stuff.

"Official selected health files. Contains information on the genetics, past health incidents, and all other necessary medical writings retrieved by palace health professionals," read Luke, scanning the top document as he stacked it back up on the brown, wooden, paper-covered desk.

Why on earth would Jadie put the medical files in here? She probably forgot them after someone needed her for something and left them there a few days ago. It was a pretty important thing to just be forgotten, though, but even the life-saving things could be misplaced when people were in a hurry to get somewhere. He could just tell Jadie about it when she returned to collect him later, if she didn't just leave him to rot in the office.

He placed the files back in a safe spot on the table and went back to the chair behind the desk, careful not to knock anything else over and have to repeat that whole process again. The pictures and notebook for his color choices were placed right in front of the chair where he couldn't possibly miss them.

When he picked up the pencil to get started, Luke managed to move the documents in a way where he could see everything at once without knocking everything off of the desk. The best course of action would be to begin with the lowest level group. He wrote down the title of the song for the beginning jazz piece and separated the area underneath it into a two-column chart, one for the colors and the other for the corresponding girl.

The picture of the costumes for the routine showed six girls standing in a group. It looked like the models for the costumes were younger than the girls of the selected, but it must not be something that mattered in the grand scheme of things. For this group, at least, it would be one color per girl.

Neaera's name was the first to go on the girl's side of his chart. Luke smiled at the thought of the raven-haired girl, thinking about their encounter during the meeting shifts. He could remember clearly that se'd been wearing a blue dress with her problematic shoes, so she must have liked the color, and one of the options for the colors of the costumes was blue. It was logical to put her name down for the color.

Mae and Willow were both girls he hadn't spoken with in the original meeting, though he had exchanged a few words with Mae during the failed garden party and had been in the room for one of the rehearsals Willow attended. The colors for them were a bit harder. Mae seemed like she'd enjoy, or at least tolerate, purple, and Willow could wear green because Luke knew nothing about her.

The remaining girls were Jillian, Dakota, and Poppy. Giving Poppy red would offend her, so she'd have to wear yellow. Red haired people would probably feel a bit mocked if they were put in something close to their hair color. That left Jillian and Dakota with pink and red. Poppy hadn't seemed like a pink person. Neither did Jillian, but she seemed more suited for dark colors in general. Red would have to work for Jillian and Dakota would have to be able to withstand the bright pink.

It was actually kind of easy for Luke to do the next group, even though they only had four colors and six girls. Pink, Black, Red, and Gold were given to Alexis, Stella, Cila, and Albany, respectively. Averian and Elizabeth were randomly chosen for pink and black after her randomly waved his pencil over the four colors.

He had to flip to a blank page in the notebook for the next list. Maybe he should have been writing a little smaller in the first chart. Shrugging it off and nervously shifting the order of things on the desk around again for better access, Luke began work on the harder task of the choices for the intermediate jazz level dance, the one with eight girls of varying skill levels and personalities.

Katelin was the first girl to get assigned a color since Luke really didn't have any need to spend more time focusing on her than he already did. Red was his first choice for her. While he'd seen Elizabeth around her, she might have been a nice person because she seemed a little scared of Katelin. She could wear blue.

His worst decision of the entire process was putting Averian in orange, but it was only slightly worse than putting the Irish and ginger-haired Mazie in green. He also wasn't entirely happy with having Alexis in yellow. Isa, Kira, and Adalacia were all only mostly fitting with the colors he'd chosen for them. Luke was starting to think that Jadie's idea of making him do this was an absolutely terrible idea.

The best part came a few minutes later when he discovered that the advanced dance only had two variations of their costume, and that Jadie had stuck a sticky note on it. "All for today. Feel free to go back to whatever you were planning to do," he read, smiling at his good fortune.

It was even simpler to put Isa and Mazie in the gold variation of the costume and put Adalacia and Kira in the silver. He had taken way more time than he would have liked on the intermediate group, and he realized that he'd been in the room sorting through colors and using his brain for an entire hour. Would Maisynn be wondering where he was? Luke hoped that everyone else hadn't taken the death-trap of a ferry back to the palace and left him in the office.

Jadie hadn't left him instructions for what to do with the notebook once he was done, so he decided to just leave it on the desk and desperately hope she'd find it so he wouldn't have to do it all over again. That would be pure torture in the best form of the word.

There was no one in the hallway. Luke decided not to panic and just to keep walking until he found someone, as that was sure to work and could save him the energy worrying about it would take. Jadie was much too organized to have even considered leaving without him, right?

"Luke! Thank goodness I found you! Jadie wanted me to get you so we could all go back to the palace, but I've been wandering around forever trying to figure out where you were. I was about to give up and tell her that you were gone for the rest of time," exclaimed Aurelia, running up besides him and taking him completely by surprise. The smile on her face distracted Luke from the fact that Jadie wasn't going to leave him to rot in the studio complex.

"I'm glad I found you! I thought that I was going to be wandering around in here by myself until tomorrow," replied Luke. Aurelia laughed and started running back down the hallway she'd come from, motioning for Luke to follow her, which he gladly proceeded to do.

Aurelia moved faster than Luke could and he had to jog to catch up with her after she turned a corner at a particularly high speed. He recognized the area as being near where the secret tunnel entrance was, only a turn or two away from the closet, which meant he could stop running and try to walk after her. It was with great relief that he spotted Neaera Deveraux up ahead, another person for him to follow to the closet.

"Neaera! Mind if I join you? Aurelia seems to have left me behind," said Luke, smiling at the raven-haired girl that had turned to smile back at him. Neaera nodded. "Sure," She replied. Luke and Neaera walked side by side to the closet, and vanished into the tunnels within.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Once again, a terrible ending on my part. I hope everyone liked this more wide-spread chapter with the girls, I tried to showcase a few that haven't really gotten much screen time recently. May is one of my least favorite months on here because a whole lot of new SYOCs are starting, and everyone gets distracted with reading the new ones, making the job of eliminating the characters of people who aren't reading much easier on my part. I still hate doing it, so keeping reviewing! I can't tell if you're reading if you haven't reviewed in like seven chapters, so try to do that when you have the time. Hawaii Trip questions are going up on my profile on Friday!**

 **Remember, review if you want to let me know you're still reading or if you just have commentary on the story! They always make me smile!**


	36. The Mystery of the Spotted Scarf

**Prince Fitz's POV**

In the days that had passed since his successful date with Lark, Fitz had been attending rehearsals and getting involved in the performance frenzy in any way he could. The girls had become accustomed to seeing him in the studios during the day. Watching, talking to the teachers, assisting Jadie in her quest for punctuality, he had done it all. It wouldn't come as a shock to anyone if he ceased being a prince and became Jadie's official intern at this point.

Taking the ferry to the studio complex every morning was also becoming quite routine for him. While he might not of been on the side of opening the tunnels up for use in the beginning, it was a more efficient way to travel places without being seen, and he had come to tolerate it.

Jadie had been the one to originally suggest the use of them, finding some old files about their creation and purpose before immediately going to Fitz's parents with the information. He had been in the room with them at the time and was displeased when they took the side for the tunnels. The guards hadn't completed the in-depth exploration of the underground labyrinth, and for all they knew there could be a rebel base hidden at the end of one.

This was why, one week after the rebel attack, Fitz was sitting in one of these cramped transports with Atlantis by his side, on a mission to assist one of the palace maids with a rather dire dilemma involving death and everything else that made a good mystery case fit for a detective novel.

"Will we be at the location soon, officer?" inquired Fitz, looking at the guard who sat across from him. The officer nodded and returned to his stance of staring blankly at the rusted ferry interior. Atlantis, to Fitz's left, had been doing the same, but now turned in his direction and glanced over at the guard. Her posture was just as perfect as it had been when they attended dinner with the other plethora of selected yesterday evening.

"You are content with accompanying us, correct? I wouldn't want to involve you in anything against your wishes," said Fitz. It had been a last second decision from Jadie to let Atlantis assist Fitz with the case, causing the official planner and teacher to have some hesitation towards the idea. Understandable, but Fitz had knocked out a rebel with a metal stick. He had this entirely under his control.

Atlantis smiled at Fitz before answering. "Correct. I'm quite interested in seeing how this plays out," she replied. It would be like one of those Sherlock Holmes novels, Fitz as the great detective and Atlantis as his trusty sidekick. She was, however, remarkably close to his intellectual level for her to be the Watson of the pair.

"As am I," responded Fitz. The ferry was beginning to slow down. The guard, sensing that the transport was reaching their target destination, motioned for Fitz and Atlantis to stay seated while he checked the outside of the tunnel for any potential hostiles. This wasn't exactly necessary. Fitz was more than capable of going through the motions of the routine check by himself, and this only slowed their progress down.

When the officer returned, Fitz was the first out of the metal transport, taking Atlantis's hand and helping her down. She landed elegantly on the suspiciously dirty floor with barely a sound. A staircase leading up to the surface could be seen in front of them, and the pair started to ascend it without any prior safety inspection on the guard's part. They were both eager to be back in the sunlight.

They ended up on the surface in the side alley of an apartment building in Angeles. He had to crane his neck and bend it backwards to see the very top of the tower, but that was usual for a structure in this area of the city. It would be best for them to get inside, though, as this area could also be notorious dangerous for those who appeared higher class to the robbers and such in the Angeles city area near here.

"This is the place. Lydia Boulder is waiting for us inside, her message said that she'll take us up to her room for the debriefing," he remarked, ambling up towards the front door of the building with Atlantis by his side. The doors opened in front of them with an automatic rush of cold air from inside.

"Good. I should thank you for letting me come, Fitz, this is an odd way of doing a date but I think I'll enjoy it," replied Atlantis. This was, in fact, a date. It wasn't traditional at all, however. Atlantis didn't seem to care about that. It was a quality he admired about her.

The lobby of the apartment building was small. It was home to a front desk and a small sitting area, which was where a young women who matched the description Fitz had been given of Lydia Boulder sat with her phone. The blonde curls pinned up into a low bun and the pale pallor of her face showed that Lydia had certainly seen a few terrible things over her lifetime. Her eyes were a dark blue that looked at her phone with miserable, melancholy disinterest.

"Miss Boulder? Fitz Schreave and Lady Atlantis Washington, my accomplice. We're here from the palace to help with your great tragedy. My condolences, I know that this must be terribly difficult for you to go through with," said Fitz, shaking Lydia's weakly offered hand and smiling politely at her.

She nodded and pocketed her phone before standing up. "Yeah. It's cool to meet you, didn't think they'd send a prince and a selected, but whatever they can do helps. Follow me up to the room. Do you need anything? I can get you food, or a beverage, or something else," replied Lydia. She seemed less sophisticated than a large majority of the other maids at the palace, but was just as eager to please as they were. He could forget about the speech because of the nature of this visit.

"No, thank you," said Atlantis, speaking for both herself and Fitz. He nodded in agreement. Lydia shrugged and continued to lead them over to a stairwell away from the building's elevator, opening the door with her hip in a sharp movement and making more noise than a pachyderm when she clambered up the stairs. She was proving more and more with every noisy step how different from the refined Atlantis she was.

It was a long staircase. Fitz had to admit that it had been quite some time since he'd had to tackle this great a climb, the stairs at the palace being smoother and less steep than these troublesome slabs of rock, but Atlantis's ability to smile at Lydia and make pleasant conversation as she ascended in her one-inch heeled shoes.

Lydia finally lead them out of the stairwell to a quiet hallway. Atlantis stayed back to walk with Fitz as Lydia aggressively unlocked the door of a room nearby, her sea-green eyes already calculating what might have happened. She took in her surroundings even as she reassuringly smiled at Fitz. The girl's social nature and pensiveness were going to be more than helpful during this case. Honestly, she would be a better detective than he would.

The apartment was certainly less posh than the palace. Old drapes hung over the windows, while cobwebs strung across the corners fluttered in the air current from rickety fan held together with industrial strength tape. The carpet seemed like it had been in place for decades. A faint mildew smell hung over the room like a noxious cloud of dust, threatening to collapse with the already weak roof at any moment in time. The place would have been less ancient seeming if it wasn't so stuffy.

Fitz and Atlantis were seated on the broken couch by Lydia, the blonde haired girl taking an armchair covered in stiches that were a failed attempt to keep the chair's stuffing inside it. The three humans sat in silence for just a second before Atlantis started the briefing.

"Lydia. Can you tell us the entire series of events that lead to this? We want to do everything we can to help, and our work will be made much simpler if you can give us all the detail you can," said Atlantis, looking at the young woman with a kind expression. Intelligence glimmered in her sea-green eyes, and Fitz surveyed the two girls in a thoughtful comparison of their important attributes as Lydia began to explain what had occurred.

"My name is Lydia Boulder. You already know that. I'm living with my stepfather, Dr. Rutherford Grimes, a man who married my mom a year or so before her death five years before today. They met in India when my mom was on a missionary trip to a poorer region, since he was doing a study of the culture and history of the area. She died in a car crash," began Lydia, her hands twisting together in an outward demonstration of anxiety.

"When she died, she left money for my sister and me in her will. It was to be shared with the entire family until me and Allison got married and left, at which point our stepfather would have to give up whatever money he had been living on from the will. This came very close to happening because my sister had gotten engaged days before she died in mysterious circumstances,"

"It was pretty close to noon. I had been in my room, watching videos on my phone, when I heard a horrible scream from my twin sister's room. We all still lived here, she was due to move out any day. I had rushed in to find her on the ground with some weird thing around her. She cried out, telling me to beware the spotted scarf, whatever that meant. My stepfather came in and tried to save her, calling an ambulance, but it was too late,"

Lydia glanced down at her hands in an expression of deep sorrow. The poor girl had lost her sister and had stood by her side powerless to do anything about it as she died. It appeared that they had a closer bond than Fitz did with either of his siblings. The fact that the sisters were twins didn't change anything about that.

Atlantis frowned in Lydia's general direction, and it was clear to see that the black-haired girl was deep in thought. "This happened recently?" she asked. Lydia nodded to confirm this almost as soon as the words came out of Atlantis's mouth. "Two weeks ago," Lydia replied, "Around the time my stepfather got our newest pets, if that's anything you might need to know," It was a helpful comment, one that would have been appreciated in the actual story itself.

"Pets? What sort of pets?" inquired Fitz, leaning forward in the couch. He could feel it struggling to hold any weight up at all. Lydia's face became scrunched up and twisted, like she had just consumed an extremely sour lemon-flavored candy.

"Um, there was this odd bird thing, and he had a covered cage that I couldn't see inside of. I tried to look, but he caught me and sent me out of his office before I could actually see what was inside it," responded Lydia.

Atlantis and Fitz silently looked at each other. It was almost as if they were speaking to each other using the considerable brain power they both possessed, a secret way of communication only the world's smartest residents could master. That, however, was completely illogical and straight out of a rather awful science fiction novel about mutant superheroes who faced extreme prejudice against them and their race while still having to save the whole universe.

In the end, their mental exchange using their eyes caused Atlantis and Fitz to both stand up. Lydia blinked in confusion. "What's happening? Did you figure anything out?" She asked, standing up so she could be at the same height level as them. It would have worked better if she hadn't been five inches shorter than the pair. Atlantis was unusually tall for a girl. Fitz could be considered tall for a man in some countries of the world.

"Yes. I assume the office is this way?" said Fitz, walking over to a closed door away from where the open doors of the three bedrooms were. Lydia merely nodded her head without saying a word and let Fitz try the door handle. "It's locked," He announced, turning to Atlantis and Lydia for assistance.

"Here. I'll do it," said Lydia. She stepped forward and aimed a strong kick up at the handle, making the heavy door immediately fly open inwardly. Lydia looked back at Atlantis and Fitz with a grin of sheer delight. "After you! That doesn't usually work when I try it. Be careful, I don't know if the bird or other mystery pet are loose in the room, or if another dangerous thing is inside," She warned, peering nervously into the room before them.

Fitz, being the resident male, took the lead. He felt the innate need to go forwards and protect the weaker members of his species that were accompanying him. Atlantis and Lydia weren't quite weak, however, and it would be insulting to assume that he was the more physically capable of the three. Lydia had just opened a locked door with a well-placed kick, after all.

The office seemed normal. The only unusual thing about the room was the presence of two cages sitting on the mahogany desk, one covered with a white drape of cloth and the other was uncovered to reveal a large red tailed hawk inside. It was quite an intimidating bird, with a sharp beak made for eating mice and other prey, and piercing yellow eyes that were like rays of light coming from the sun.

Lydia bounded up ahead, taking Fitz and the nearby Atlantis by surprise, running up to the covered cage and preparing to uncover the mysteries that lay within. Her hands shook as she glanced back at him, dark blue eyes filled with strong emotion that threatened to spill over and flood out over them all. Fitz saw Atlantis give Lydia a tiny, subtle, almost unnoticeable nod that told her it was acceptable to uncovered the hidden cage.

"Here goes nothing," announced Lydia. Fitz grabbed the long metal rifle that was leaning against the closest wall. If the murder weapon really was whatever animal that lay inside, it would be best to have some sort of method of defense for the group of three.

The cloth came off. Gasps could be heard from Lydia and Atlantis, Fitz's eyes widening in shock at what lay inside the cage. It looked as though a thin, spotted scarf was coiled up on a decorative plaster branch inside. That was the murder weapon, if Fitz was not mistaken, for this had just been proved as being a murder of the most foul caliber. The stepfather would be hauled off to prison once they collected significant evidence against him.

When the spotted scarf suddenly raised it's head and hissed at Lydia, she jumped back with a shriek. What had now been proven as a snake twisted around the branch and onto the bottom of the cage, worming it's head through the bars that evidently weren't thick enough to keep it inside.

"Fitz! Atlantis!" yelped the blonde girl. The snake was almost completely out of it's useless prison in a matter of seconds, apparently targeting the closest human to it. Lydia seemed terrified of the snake. While he didn't exactly have time to think, Fitz did wonder if the stepfather had actually planted the snake in Allison's room or if the snake had escaped the cage itself. That would clean this entire mess up quite nicely, if they could give sufficient evidence of it.

"Use the rifle, Fitz!" said Atlantis, who had somehow managed to keep her level head in the midst of the crisis. He had forgotten about the metal weapon he had picked up so he could defend them. Shaking it and checking it for ammunition, he became worried when he saw that it was devoid of any bullets. Atlantis wasn't going to let that prevent them from keeping the snake at bay, however. "You can use the weight of it to knock out the snake!" She yelled.

Fitz did have a moral code that was telling him to gently hit the creature. Lydia didn't, though, and grabbed the rifle out of his hands before he could give the snake a mere concussion. She pointed it threateningly at the lazily moving serpent, and appeared like she was about to bash it's brains out of it's miniature reptile skull. He would have let her, if he had been given the choice, but he felt quite irritated about the snakeicide when it was sudden and rash.

"Lydia!" exclaimed Atlantis, staring at the young woman as she hit the snake as hard as she possibly could. The slithering, spotted serpent was dead in a few seconds, it's skull completely crushed in by the force of the blows. At least they would have the corpse to use as evidence.

For good measure, Lydia was now stomping on the snake to make sure that it really was dead. Fitz almost felt sorry about the poor thing. Imagining himself under the raging fury of her combat boots made him shiver. Those boots weren't made for walking, those boots were made for killing murderous reptiles and annihilating, pulverizing, and basically crushing their skulls under heel.

"That was for Allison!" yelled Lydia, throwing a few foul swear words into her mix of angry shouting. It was an odd sight, seeing a human so mad at a reptile, but it was something he would have seen eventually over the course of his lifetime.

Atlantis and Fitz removed Lydia from jumping on the dead snake. Atlantis gingerly picked the corpse up and put it back in the cage, holding it far out of the young woman's reach as she swore and grabbed for it. Maybe the stepfather wasn't the only member of this family with anger issues. No pacifist or even a vegetarian would go to town with snake stomping like she had just done in the full force of her fury.

It wasn't long before they had taken Lydia to the police, who had already arrested her stepfather for further interrogation. They handed the cage over to an officer that promised he wouldn't let the girl destroy the evidence. He also was close to being seven feet tall, which helped in keeping the cage high enough in the air that she couldn't reach it without some sort of ladder.

"Would you like to have dinner with me in the palace? I think that would be necessary to remedy the mess this date turned out to be," said Fitz as he and Atlantis were on the ferry back to the palace, the officer from that morning still staring at the wall as they moved through the complex labyrinth of tunnels. He hoped that the man hadn't been sitting in the ferry all day, it was bound to get quite uncomfortable eventually.

Atlantis smiled. "It wasn't as terrible as you thought it was, but dinner sounds lovely," she replied. Her sea-green eyes were the last thing he saw before the ferry went to a screeching halt and arrived back at the palace.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I had to make this chapter shorter and improvise on it after I realized I had limited time today, but I wanted to make sure everyone remembered that the questions come out tomorrow. It's actually loosely based off a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, hence the chapter name and the entire plot.**

 **The questions! I've putting them and the roommates/condo groups up what seems to be at least a week before we get to the actual time before the trip in the story. I also have a quick poll up on my profile about whether you want the next chapter to include a Hawaii trip briefing or just Sam doing something else that isn't a date. I could move it back to Luke's POV if you vote no for Sam, but the poll will only have 15 or so hours before I have to start writing. The questions are a lot, so be prepared!**

 **Remember to review if you have commentary on the chapter or the story in general! They let me know if you're reading and they usually motivate me to write more for the story!**


	37. A Presentation about Future Events

**Prince Sam's POV**

It was a little annoying to Sam that they were already getting into preparations for the Hawaii trip to Maui, an island of the soon-to-be 36th province, and they hadn't even started dress rehearsals for the actual performance yet. Seriously, people, couldn't you just wait a few days?

Apparently it wasn't possible for Jadie to wait. For someone obsessed with punctuality, it was kind of ironic that she always seemed to do things early. He was reminded of this one grocery store in Angeles that would always put stuff out for Christmas four months before December. There was no point to doing anything like that even if it made people get into the holiday spirit in September.

Sam hated the fact that he had been forced to sit and listen to Jadie's presentation on the trip, stuck on a chair behind the many rows of the selected. It wasn't like he could actually see over their heads. Atlantis and Averian were both blocking his line of vision so well that he couldn't even see the neon colors of Jadie's newest outfit.

All he could see of her was her curly black hair sticking up near the top of the hidden projector screen. There was probably a slide show on it that he wasn't able to see, but the less of the briefing he had to hear, the happier a person he was. Maybe Sam would just be able to take a nap and sleep through the entire thing. That would be really nice, though he highly doubted his chances of getting away with it.

"Cila, Scarlet, please be quiet. That goes for everyone! Are you ready to listen so we can finish this?" asked Jadie, looking around the room for signs of conversation. Scarlet nudged Cila when Jadie addressed them. They both instantly were quiet, eyes glued to the screen. He was able to see the outline of what seemed to be a picture of an island, white sand beaches on the edges and sparkling blue water all around, looking like something out of a travel photo book.

A few of the girls had started to whisper among themselves, excited about visited what they saw as paradise. Jadie let out a heavy sigh as she made eye contact with Sam and shook her head to herself. She waited for the room to quiet itself without her help.

Jadie had that face again, the one that meant she expected this to take awhile, so Sam decided to look around the room for whatever things might be interesting to look at. It was in the southern wing of the palace. That was where the dining hall was, along with a side entrance to the gardens, close to one of the main entrances and exits to where the maids would stay for sewing all day.

The round was sort of round-ish in shape. Jadie was up at the place where a small point connected two walls broke the circle, Sam at the back where it curved into a tear drop design. The ceiling in the room was high and arched. Marble floors made any noise seem much louder than it actually was, and were spotless after the hours the palace staff would have spent cleaning it. The walls were decorated with scenic paintings of idealistic landscapes.

There were around eight rows of girls, each with seven or so chairs in them. Many of the shorter girls had opted to sit near the front. Sam might have been shorter, but sitting up there would mean Jadie could see what he was doing and yell at him more publicly.

"Now are we ready to start? Good. Officer Max! Cue the slide," announced Jadie, gesturing towards a guard in the back. The officer fumbled with the computer before hitting a button that made the slide show progress. He'd probably seen Max around the palace before, the blonde haired guard kind of looked familiar to him. A distant memory of seeing him during last week's rebel attack came to his mind. That must of been where Sam had seen him previous to today.

Word art of the words "Selected Hawaii Trip of Encouraging the Formation of Long Lasting Bonds" popped up in front of everyone. That was a whole lot of words for the title of something, or at least it was in Sam's mind.

The next slide appeared. "After the America Singer Center Performance has been completed, the members of the selected remaining will go on a trip to our future 36th province, the Hawaiian islands. You'll stay on the island of Maui for your time there, and will get to experience the full wonder of the beaches, weather, and whatever other things you choose to do during the time," said Jadie.

People began to whisper again. However, Jadie continued to talk. "I'll start with the plane ride. We're going to have to fly across the country and land in Labrador to board another plane for a flight straight to the island of Oahu, then a short 40 minute flight to Maui. The flight from Labrador will tale eleven hours,"

Even more outraged whispering filled the room. No one was excited about the prospect of such a long flight, and Sam wasn't exactly the type of person to care about how long it would be. Eleven hours was almost half of an entire day. The four hour flight before that would extend it to fifteen hours, the flight changes taking two hours each, putting it at nineteen hours and forty minutes at the minimum. That was a heck of a long time to travel.

"The plane will be normal, no special treatment when we have so many people to fly at once. The seats will have movie screens and the plane will include internet access for everyone that wants to use it. Snacks and meals will also be free for all of you on the flight. It's been a priority for us to ensure your comfort during the entire flight and travel process," explained Jadie, smiling at the girls in the first row in a very tight manner as they stopped whispering immediately.

Slides with happy humans on a plane were flashed up on the screen by Officer Max, who was still kind of terrible at operating the computer. A series of them showing people eating, watching movies, and sleeping were shown to the girls by the still smiling Jadie.

"You will all have roommates in your apartment area. It will include a kitchen with an open connection to a sitting area, with two rooms connected off of it, each with their own bathroom. Four girls will share this condo. Two girls per room, and the roommates will be listed in the official packet that is being packed around to you now," said Jadie. She scowled at Max and he quickly handed stacks of packets down each row, letting the girls pass them down.

Max had an extra packet when he reached the last row. He noticed Sam watching him and smiled. "Here," he whispered to Sam, passing him one of the spare packets before Jadie could notice him deviating from his instructions.

"I won't let you change your roommate. I have, however, tried to make it so people don't need to ask to switch. The goal was to make it so you are able to enjoy your time with the other girls of the selected. Some of you might not have gotten to talk very much yet, so feel free to go and have conversations with your roommates after this is over. Not right at this moment. Right now is for staying silent and listening," Her steely gaze swept over all of the girls again.

Sam opened his own packet and scanned the page of roommates. The first pair that caught his eye was Mae and Neaera, since Mae was someone he had gotten along with very well so far. They seemed like they would work well together. The last group looked the most problematic, playing host to Gloria, Evangeline, Sophea, and Katelin herself. He would stay far away from that group.

"Next. I want everyone to think about what you want your swimsuits and outfits to be during the trip. Our maids and buyers will do their best to help get everything completely perfect and the way you want it to be," A few girls perked up at the mention of swimsuits, probably excited about a few things involving them.

He was beginning to become even more bored of this than he would get while usually listening to Jadie's presentations, but he was stuck in the room unless Officer Max was feeling especially generous. It was best to just stay in here and listen. Waiting it out would be the best way to make it go faster, if that was possible, so he desperately hoped Jadie would just finished up.

"I would now like to let everyone ask questions," said Jadie. She waited for one of the girls to raise their hands, and cleared her throat when no one did. "Questions will make sure you don't have to worry about anything at all. For all you know, you might be eaten by a shark," she raised an eyebrow at them.

Ianthe Delacroix was the first one to do so. "Will we be eaten by a shark?" She asked, her pen tapping on the notebook she had been jotting notes down in during the entire presentation. The day dress she wore had a pattern that reminded Sam a bit of ink stains. It was a cream color with large indigo splotches that were like starbursts of color. She looked slightly prettier than normal in it.

Jadie shook her head and let out a long sigh. "No. Anyone else? With questions that are actually helpful and beneficial, something that would answer questions other people would also have?" She asked, causing Ianthe to scribble something down again. Sam wondered if it was her notes on the probability of them getting eaten by the sharks of Hawaii. It seemed like something Ianthe would end up doing with her personality.

"Ashla. Thank you for raising your hand, what's your question?" said Jadie, calling on the dark-haired girl. Ashla smoothed out her hunter green dress before telling what Jadie her question. "How do you want us to suggest our outfit and swimsuit ideas to you? Should we just give our maids a list?" She asked.

"Yes. That would work perfectly. Everyone should do that for the outfits and swim suits. I'll let your maids know about that as soon as I can, so you'll be able to do that later. Max! Go to the question slide!" complained Jadie. She answered Ashla before noticing the screen. Max sighed and whacked the projector, hard, before using a paper of instructions for use of the thing to switch to the next slide. Was it really that hard to do that for him?

Fed up with watching him struggle, Sam forced himself to get out of the chair. He walked over to Max and took the packet, gesturing for the technology-challenged guard to move out of the way, and stood in positon to man the controls.

Max mouthed a quick thank you to Sam. "No problem," replied Sam, whispering back to him with a slight smile tugging at his lips. Jadie saw the change in control and appeared to be relived.

"How will we all get to the airport?" inquired Kira. The blue-eyed girl was sitting with her legs crossed in a curious position, her flower print dress flowing out around them as she twisted in her seat. It was a question that wasn't one immediately thought of by most people. That made it more interesting when she asked it and made it more likely for Jadie to find a better answer for it. Sam would have never thought about that in any of his deepest thoughts.

"We'll take the ferry, of course. Everyone has been introduced to our newest method of transportation, and I think you should all have used it going to rehearsals so far. We found a direct route to the airport a few days ago and have been working on increasing the capacities of the ferries so we can get all of you to the airport without taking the entire flight time to do so. You all have also been acquainted with how long it takes to do this,"

Some of the girls were nodding, a few of them were even giggling. Sam hadn't really liked the ferry whenever he was made to use it on his way to the studio area thingy. It was too cramped and smelled like old coins, making him hate the way coins would usually smell on his hands after touching them.

"Who gets to drive us around on the island? Will we drive ourselves? What if we can't really drive well? How would they get guards to come with us later when there are already so many of us going on the plane?" Aurelia fired off a volley of rapid questions with a anxious, but still fun and happy, expression on her face. Her blonde hair swayed behind her as she leaned forwards to look at Jadie as she waited for her series of questions to be answered by the official planner.

Jadie had to think for a second about the many questions Aurelia had asked her. Sam himself had already lost track of what all the questions in her long question was. Maybe if he didn't talk so much himself, he would have been able to remember all of them more easily.

"A few of you will get driving privileges and will be able to drive around the island. If you can't drive well, you won't get to drive at all. The guards won't be present with us because we'll be listed as a summer university program from Angeles University by permission from their higher-ups. You're correct in thinking that it would be hard to take the guards with us," finally replied Jadie.

"Does anyone else have questions?" she wondered aloud, searching around the room for whatever hands might have been raised in the seconds since she had last asked. A few more hands were stretched up towards the ceiling. Sam was able to see the girls much better from where he was standing at the projector, it was actually proving to be a better presentation session standing up here than sitting. He would ask Jadie if he could do this the next time it happened.

"Alexis?" Jadie pointed out Alexis's raised hand. Most of the girls had habit of turning to face the girl that Jadie had called on. Sam would do it a lot just because he never liked the feeling of having everyone stare at someone behind him and have him looking like he thought it was all for him.

"How long is the trip? You never told us that. It's something that's pretty important, isn't it?" asked the girl. Jadie shook her head and looked at the clock when Alexis had finished speaking.

"We haven't decided yet. Everyone, our session is now over, I'd like you all to leave the room in an orderly fashion. Come talk to me if you have other questions! Your attendance is appreciated," she replied.

Sam watched as everyone filed out of the room, standing next to Max as he used his eyes to see them leave.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter is only half the length the recent ones usually are, but I need to go to sleep soon and I had to rush to get this out.**

 **The Hawaii trip questions are now posted on my profile, along with the roommates for the trip! I put instructions up with the questions, so use that if you need direction, and just PM me if you need additional help.**

 **To the person who reviewed on chapter three with a character form that had so little detail it made me want to scream and their lack of realizing that part was months ago made me want to bang my head against the wall: Just don't try.**

 **Remember to leave a review if you liked this chapter (I doubt that, though) or if you have something to say about the story in general! Don't forget to start working on those questions!**


	38. At Least They Tried

**Prince Luke's POV**

When Sam had first told him that he wanted to try to do a group routine with the three of them, Luke had been terrified of Jadie letting him go through with it. The three of them already had a hard time agreeing on anything. He could imagine how badly that would go, even without Sam's desire to do something stupid and without Fitz's perfectionism, and it would be a nightmare if they weren't able to put those qualities aside for the time.

It would have been a better use of their time to go and watch the girls in their last choreography group rehearsals before the first dress rehearsal tomorrow. Seeing them finish the dances at a relatively slow rate was preferable to convincing Sam not to use a horrible song from the 1980s.

Another thing that they could have been doing instead of this was watching the fashion designers work on their designs for the fashion show part, or maybe sitting in on the band's disastrous attempts to get the non-musical girls with time on their hands to learn to play an instrument in two days. Watching Ianthe struggle to control a tuba was an interesting experience.

His protests never worked. Now all three princes were sitting in an empty studio, sitting around and staring at each other while Sam suggested song after song. Jadie , after abandoning them ten minutes previously, hadn't been seen since they had been placed in the room, leaving them with no hope of rescue.

"Guys. Are we just going to sit here and be more boring than Jadie's presentation yesterday? I had to man the projector during that thing, you people need to step up your game if that's starting to be funnier than what's happening here," complained Sam, rolling his eyes and sliding off his bench to sit on the gray studio floor. The youngest Schreave brother's brown hair was sticking up in the back of his head like a tiny flag.

Fitz sighed in Sam's general direction. "We're only in this distressing situation because of your troublesome need to participate in worthless activities. I have no interest in doing this, as I have already expressed in great length," he said. The notebook he had balanced on his right leg was turned to a clean, unsoiled page that didn't look like it was going to see action any time soon.

"Yeah, we know. Let's just pick a song!" replied Sam. Luke glanced over at the ticking clock hanging on the wall. The red seconds hand was moving in a rhythm that made him want to pick up some drum sticks and attack a snare drum, possibly with some of the selected by his side with other instruments.

Thinking about it, he remembered that Jadie hadn't exactly specified that they needed to do a dance routine for whatever they were doing during the show. They could do something that was more enjoyable than dancing for all three of them. Something like drumming, or making music in a way that wasn't entirely expected of them to do, like using old pieces of recycling as their instruments. That could end up being kind of fun.

"We don't have to dance," said Luke, making both of his brothers suddenly turn to look at him. "I mean, we could do something with music and instruments. All of us like percussion. It would be simple enough to use that and it wouldn't require anything other than leaving the audience and going on stage,"

Jotting a few words down in the notebook, Fitz considered this idea. "It could potentially work. It allows us to view the performance as spectators then have a brief session of participation when we arrive on the stage. The lack of requiring an extended planning period is also favorable for our current position,"

A quick snort came from Sam before he spoke. "You sound like an old textbook, Fitz. I like this idea. Maybe we could finish this with enough time to go watch some of the other rehearsals, too, that would be great. I can play the cowbell or the maracas as you two bang on the snares drums and stuff, we can do one song off of some sheet music we can find off the internet," said Sam.

Luke felt slightly proud of his idea as his brothers began to argue over what type of song they would do, feeling like he had actually done an important thing for once. They would get to do a thing he had suggested with all three of them together in front of who knows how many people. The song chosen would be less of an insure for them to decide upon, but he knew whatever he came up with in that area wouldn't even be given a second glance by Fitz and Sam.

He looked out of the studio window as they bickered. Light filtered in through it, illuminating the room with a soft glow, all they needed to be able to see in the room. The faint outline of buildings in Angeles were visible when the thin tree outside swayed in the breeze of the temperate weather, bending gently to hide his view.

"I'm going to go grab some of the instruments out of the storage closet," announced Luke, knowing that they'd probably come to a conclusion without him anyway and it would help to do something productive while they did that. Fitz looked up and briefly nodded while Sam grinned at him. He took that as approval for going to get the potentially large instruments.

If he remembered correctly, the storage closet with the instruments wasn't that far away from their studio. Luke left the room and took a right at the closest hallway junction to arrive at the entrance to the musical instrument storage area. He opened the doors with a hard push, flicking the light switch next to the door on before going inside the room, eyes adjusting to the harsh fluorescent light that filled the inside of the closet.

Shelves and cupboards made up the walls of the medium sized room. Labels with large capital letters in block print were stuck on most of them to describe what was inside, the musical instruments of the room arranged by section in what could be described as a very haphazard way.

The percussion instrument cupboard were easy enough to locate, and he pulled open the doors to see what was inside each. Unloading the snare drums, xylophone instruments, and the smaller percussion things was a hard task that he struggled to complete.

A pile of percussion things was soon assembled in the middle of the room. Luke planned to bring them into the studio that he and the others were using in a way that let him use the snare drum, something usually taken by Fitz whenever they played together, and that had the others take the xylophone and the other assorted musical things he had grabbed off of the shelves in the room. Some of them were certainly weird, he could say that with confidence.

Carrying them all back to the studio would be harder than he thought, so Luke tried to pile everything on top of the rolling instruments with various degrees of successfulness. He ended up backing out of the room and having to close the door with his foot, twisting and using his elbow to flick the light switch back off to make the room dark again. The way back through the hallway and the corner was much slower this time around.

"Luke! You took long enough. What did you bring back? We think we decided on something, you seem to have all of the right stuff for the sheet music Fitz ended up finding," said Sam. He and Fitz were still in the positions he had left them in ten minutes ago.

He held on to the snare drums as Sam bounded forwards to grab the assorted pile of random smaller instruments on top of the xylophone, which he wheeled towards Fitz after he'd collected whatever he wanted. Hanging back behind them, Luke became very possessive of the snare drums with it's accompanying sticks that he was holding like it was his own newborn baby.

Fitz noticed him taking possession of the snare drums, but didn't mention it when he began to talk. "I've retrieved copies of what sheet music we'll use from the music library area inside this complex. I believe that this is the correct piece of sheet music for the snare drum part. Sam, I have one sheet for you that should have all of your necessary parts for the performance on it in overlapping notes. I hope you can manage to read it," said Fitz to Luke and Sam.

Sheet music was handed out to Sam and Luke. Fitz and Sam had found some music stands while he was gone, somehow, and they were now being moved to places in front of the instruments so they could read the music as they played with their hands.

"Begin on my mark," instructed Fitz, surveying them with a controlling look. Luke had already started tapping his foot to the rhythm of the music while he was sight reading it during his wait for them to start. He held the sticks at the correct angle as he imagined himself tapping onto the snare drum, performing a roll to start the song as it told him to do on the brilliantly white piece of freshly printed sheet music balanced carefully on his stand.

"One, two , three, four," said Fitz. Luke started with the snare roll and lost himself in the complexity of the music, listening for the tone that went along with the sound of the instruments. He could hear Fitz doing the melody of the song on his xylophone and Sam doing the overlaying parts with the various instruments that he kept switching out and in of his hands, juggling them like a circus clown to play everything at once. He would have to be an octopus to do it perfectly.

The song went by surprisingly fast. It was done for Luke had even realized they were more than halfway through the sheet music spread out on the stand, but he felt like that was how it usually went with music. He wasn't sure if that was the same for his brothers, though.

Fitz frowned at the music on his own stand with apparent discontent, then looked up at Luke and Sam. "We began to rush in measure seventeen, do better on our other run-throughs. Sam, please collect yourself and play your myriad of instruments without dropping any of then," He said.

"I'm playing seven different things! Dude, seriously, do you really expect me to not drop them or injure myself with them when I'm not a percussion lord of everything like you are? You know I'm not particularly coordinated in general. How could I keep up with you?" complained Sam, being louder than the snare drum in front of Luke had been when the music had told him to play it at forte.

"I'm telling you to get a hold of yourself, Sam, learn how to do it correctly or don't do it at all. It won't do to have someone as incompetent as you just were during the performance. Cease your antics and general mucking around so you can learn to play it correctly," fired back Fitz. Luke could tell that the tension in the room was steadily growing with each second that Fitz and Sam scowled at each other in a bitter stare-off battle.

"Well, if you weren't so controlling and such a killjoy all of the time, this would be fun enough to put effort into!" snapped Sam. He threw down the sheet music he had been fixing on his music stand. Sam then started to stomp out of the room with a nasty expression on his face, leaving in a fait of rage. "I'm out. You two can do this if you want to, but I'm decidedly done with this," He shouted back into the room before marching down the hallway.

Fitz turned to Luke and breathed a long suffering sigh. "This was doomed to fail in the beginning. I'll replace all of the instruments in the closet so that you can be free to leave," He said, shaking his head at the youngest sibling's behavior as he resigned themselves to failure of doing anything at all for the show.

It was completely quiet as Luke left the room, confused as to why Fitz would volunteer to do something that required manual labor. He wasn't sure if he should just travel back to the palace on the ferry and see if there were any girls there that he could interact with or if he should try and see if there were still rehearsals going on in the other studios. It might have already been time for them to be over for the day.

His decision was to just go back to the palace. Even if he couldn't find anyone, Luke would be able to hide in his room and read books on geography for fun while he waited for dinner, or he could go for a quick run around the palace gardens. That would be a better course of action to take than to wander around the studio complex by himself for the next few days because everyone had forgotten about him for the seventeenth time altogether.

The hidden entrance down to the tunnels where the ferry operated was far away from the studio Luke had been in, but he didn't see a single person on his way there. Any peeks he took into the studios on his route proved that they were all empty. Completely devoid of all people, all of the selected there earlier already having gone back to the palace when they finished rehearsal.

Thankfully, a guard was still waiting down in the tunnel next to the transport. It was one that Luke didn't recognize as being stationed there earlier in the week. Jadie had probably switched up the rotation to make sure the palace was safer, along with sending the other guards from before back there.

"Prince Luke, are you ready to return to the palace?" asked the guard, standing up respectfully when he approached, looking up the tunnel staircase to check for the other princes. Sam and Fitz were going to take the car back, since they usually didn't like to use the ferry unless absolutely necessary.

"Yes. Everyone else already went back, right?" replied Luke. He wanted to check to make sure he hadn't missed anyone on his way to the tunnel. The others could have been hiding from him in one of the farther away studios, or they could have been wandering outside of the building as they waited for him and his brothers. That was highly unlikely. Given the past history of Jadie almost leaving him behind, it could happen again.

The guard nodded. "All of the selected went back at least ten minutes ago. Jadie went with them," he said. Luke moved closer to the ferry and climbed inside, sitting uncomfortably on the harsh bench that passed for seating inside the transport. The guard, walking quickly over to the mechanism that controlled which tunnel the ferry went down, checked to make sure Luke was completely inside before he pushed the levers to start the ferry in motion.

When the transport took off with a sharp jolt, Luke stared at the opposite wall with a blank expression. The ferries were always a little scary to ride on for him. They reminded him of how easily they could crash and break, leaving him dead or mortally wounded or something terrible and painful in that general area of injury.

It was becoming normal for him to get off the ferry as fast as he possibly could when it finally reached the palace end of the tunnels. There wasn't a guard on this end because no one currently needed to operate the ferry from there, it was able to be recalled by the officer waiting back underneath the studios. No one interrupted him or stopped him when he opened the door that lead to one of the palace hallways.

His brothers hadn't arrived in the car yet, given that the maids and palace staff scurrying around in the corridor he had emerged in weren't running to get out of there way. Fitz had always cleared the hallways with his regal bearing and Sam was the type of person to try to prank the maids and palace staff whenever they got too close to his set path of mischievous troublemaking.

Luke began to walk down the hallway, unsure as to what he was going to do next, not seeing any of the girls in the selection in the corridor as he walked down it. Maybe they were all at some sort of dessert thing.

"Luke! Hey, everyone, I found Luke!" came a loud voice from behind him. He turned to see Aurelia Coralie dressed in some sort of ballet leotard, poking her head out from the nearby door of the great room of space that had housed the first meetings with the selected.

"Aurelia? Um, what's going on?" asked Luke, eyes sweeping over the oddly dressed blonde. It wasn't exactly usual for her to be dressed like a ballerina. Aurelia giggled and gestured for him to follow her into the large room. He could hear multiple voices floating out through the door in apparent happiness as they were accompanied by loud laughter, along with some worrying noises that might have been people crashing into walls.

The sight that greeted him was definitely unexpected. Inside the spacious room, a large group of the selected were standing in small groups and doing some sort of dancing thing that looked similar to ballet. They all wore leotards, which might have given him that important context clue.

Isa Jonson was one of the few girls in a full ballet practice tutu, one of the pancake style ones that were so typical for the lead role in ballets. She was doing an intricate adagio combination on pointe shoes as a few other girls watched her move. Spotting Luke, Isa ceased her routine and glided over to him with the grace of a professional ballet dancer, which was what she was.

"It's good to see you, Luke. You look confused, did Aurelia forget to tell you what we're doing?" inquired Isa, smiling in the gentle way she always did. Luke nodded and she smiled at him once more.

"When we were leaving rehearsals for the day, Jadie asked for volunteers to help choreograph a ballet to be performed in the next selection's performance. She's already decided that they'll have one and has cleared it with King Maxon. They wanted us to get a good start on it so we can refine it before the next selection in twenty years or so. We've been in here for almost an hour now with little progress," explained the tall dancer.

He was surprised that Jadie had planned that far ahead. Did she really have enough confidence in this selection going well? Jadie couldn't have honestly been that optimistic, Luke had been in difficult situations with her before and he knew that her neon colors only masked a highly negative attitude when it came to things going well. That was why she made it her life's mission to make everything go as smoothly and as perfectly as it possibly could.

"We've been having soloists do improvisation to the music while we help the others with the simple group combinations to begin. Do you want to see what we have so far, Luke?" asked Isa. Her use of his name made him feel all warm and tingly inside.

"Of course! Where do you want me to sit?" He replied, smiling back at Isa. She quickly clapped her hands together as loud as she could, and Kira climbed up onto a chair to yell at the crowd from above. Both of the dancers had seemed nice to him at the meeting and at the rehearsals he'd been to.

Isa turned to him. "Right here will be fine," She said before whispering instructions up to Kira, who nodded. "Listen up! We've been graced by the presence of our very own Prince Luke, so we're going to show him what we have of our ballet so far! Everyone get in your places for the very beginning. Remember your moves, and from our improv. dancers, try to match the music! Get moving!" Shouted Kira to the entirety of the rather large room.

The girls in the room rushed to their places after Kira had yelled at them. Someone went to the light switches and dimmed them, simulating the blackout and the lowered curtain at the beginning of a show, unable to put a real curtain up when they had so little time. Another person must have hooked up a phone to a speaker because of the soft classical music that began to flow through the place.

Isa stepped out into the middle of the room in the dark and went to a beginning pose, preparing to start dancing when the lights came back on. Scarlet, who Luke had recognized as the one controlling the lights, seemed to be counting to a number that she soon reached when she turned the lights on.

A section of the music that sounded more fitting for a shop in an old countryside village swept over the room. Isa took a slight breath as she prepared to go up onto her pointe shoes. She rose up onto them and performed a rapid series of movements, starting with her arms moving up and out as a beginning for the combination she was performing.

For a improvisation, Isa did a really good job with her solo. She was light on her feet and could match the music with choreography that looked like it belonged on a professional stage. As she finished her dance, Luke saw a group of girls in leotards lining up in the sides of the room that had been turned into simulations of the wings and the backstage area. Some of them were counting out the music.

She ballet ran off the stage. The two columns of girls waiting in the wings were prepared to run out, but the lights suddenly went off and everyone began to look towards them to see who had caused the unwanted interruption.

Of course, Jadie was standing at the light switch panel with her clipboard. A few of the girls quietly groaned when they saw that they would probably be leaving the room soon. Others seemed glad that they could finally escape the torture of badly done ballet and the controlling demeanor of the ballerinas who were guiding them through it. Not that Isa was controlling, she was actually far from it.

"Rehearsal is over, everyone. I want you all to go to bed. If you want to, you can visit your roommates for the Hawaii trip and get to know them a little better. You won't have another chance until the performance is over because of dress rehearsals tomorrow," announced Jadie.

Many of the girls packed up their bags and began to trickle out of the room in small groups. Some girls, like Cila and Scarlet, left in pairs that were happily coordinating sleepovers in their rooms tonight so they could get to know each other better before the trip started in a week or so.

"Luke, I want you to go to sleep at a decent hour tonight," said Jadie, walking over to him and scowling at any girls who weren't moving fast enough as she spoke. He didn't really want to go to bed early, he had things he wanted to do before the intense few days of dress rehearsals and the performance started, but it would be better for his desire to live if he didn't argue with Jadie. She could probably kill him quicker than Katelin would be able to.

He turned away from Jadie and started to walk out the door. Luke's thoughts began to swirl in his head as he walked, knowing that the next few days were certainly going to be heck in a handbasket.

* * *

 **Author's Note: We've finally gotten to dress rehearsals! Please, please, please make sure you're completely caught up with the entire story before we get into them. I know a large percentage of you tend to forget about it for awhile then binge read through the last ten chapters or so, and I don't want that to happen this time.**

 **It's been hard for me to write recently because of my worrying about the new SYOCs that are popping up. When I look at it, we really are doing pretty well with people liking the story, but I'm starting to fear that one of the top writers here will start a triplet selection and this will be doomed. If that happens, I will go and make the sequel a quintuplet selection.** **Hawaii trip questions! Get those in, I'd like to have a due date of _May 26th._ There might be a lot of them, but don't worry, it's actually not that bad when you get them done quickly. Just do a few at a time and follow the instructions I've listed before.**

 **As usual, don't forget to review! They make my day and I have no idea who is reading the story unless they review. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can, so be ready for that.**


	39. The First Dress Rehearsal

Prince Fitz's POV

The America Singer Center for the Performing Arts was nothing short of impressive. It was quite plain to see that it was a grand building that had taken a considerable amount of time to build, what with it's multiple theaters and adjoining art gallery, a place living up to it's intended purpose as a memorial for both a girl and a country whose lives had been cut short by uncontrollable events.

If a person started out at the palace, as the members of the selection and the three princes had done, it would be a rather long ride through the ferry tunnels underneath the city to reach a train station close to the intended destination.

The train station was necessary because they hadn't yet finished the tunnels that lead directly into the building. They were estimated to be done tomorrow, but for now the large group of people required to the travel to the center were forced to emerge in a miniscule closet that smelled of cleaning supplies. It was from there that they would cross the street with great care and come upon the beauty of the recently finished building.

Fitz had been impressed by the architecture of the place when he and the girls had first crossed the street. Modern, modelled of a similarly purposed building that had existed in the former capital of the United States, the use of windows and elegant straight lines creating a sleek, almost futuristic effect on the white marble building. The multi-story balconies that lined the outside served as a design feature, along with being an excellent way to view Angeles in all it's glory.

When the misshapen group of people got to the Center, they were lead to the front entrance so they could be astounded by the main lobby area. Jadie Flores had been the one waiting for them inside the building for when they stepped through the sliding glass doors.

A domed ceiling that let natural light in rose above the area. The floors were shined to perfection, the kiosks and things for ticket sales perfectly organized, and the small indoor trees that had been planted all around swayed in the air current the flowed through the room. Both voices and footsteps alike echoed whenever someone in the group chose to move. It would be quite the busy terminal when it was filled with the hordes of people to come there.

"I'll take you to your dressing rooms. Costumes and everything like that will be waiting for you there, along with detailed instructions and your dance teachers to guide you through this entire process for the next few days," said Jadie once they had quieted down, giving them the time Fitz had used to think shortly after.

Now, as Jadie let them take in the main floor, Fitz surveyed the girls after he had recapped their journey in his mind for directional purposes. The seventy of them and his brothers were still glancing around the place in wonder. They still followed Jadie, but they payed very little attention to her as they let their surroundings sink in. Jadie recognized that attempting to speak to them would have proved to be futile.

She took the lead as the group squeezed down a narrow corridor. The entrance to the main theater was nearby, given that they would have to access it from backstage and get to backstage from these dressing rooms. It was a tight fit for many of the groups of girls that had been standing in rows that were four or five people shoulder to shoulder as they walked.

"As you see the dressing room with your name on it, peel off from the group and go inside to deposit your stuff. Assistants will be waiting for you. They'll make you all listen when I come on the intercom to give you your next instructions. Fitz, Luke, Sam, you'll come with me for today," Instructed Jadie.

They began to lose various girls as they moved down the corridor. It wasn't long before the reached the end and the large set of double doors that marked the entrance to the official left wing and backstage area. Sounds of talking drifted out of the half-closed doors of the dressing rooms that contained girls, the voices of the assistants struggling to rise above the rest so everyone would cease their chatter.

The three princes obediently waited while Jadie ordered assistants around, Sam beginning to shiver because of his remarkable sensitivity to any change in temperature at any random time.

It was slightly awkward for the three of them to stand around without any clear intent of doing anything. While Jadie hadn't forgotten them, she had certainly forgotten to instruct them on what to do as she busied herself with putting everything where it was supposed to be. She didn't even appear to have any immediate concern for whether the princes suddenly decided to disappear or not.

However, as Fitz became increasingly irritated with Jadie's behavior, he became aware of her striding back towards them. Her neon shoes tapped on the floor whenever she made a quick turn to peek into the dressing rooms on her way to the princes, and her pencil moved in straight lines on her clipboard whenever she had to correct an assistant for a foolish mistake.

"Follow me. I'm going to have you three take various stations backstage until I can get the tech crew to cooperate with my plans. Luke, Sam, you'll be taking care of the lights and the background from the control booth up there," said Jadie, leading them into the backstage area and pointing up at the back of the theater.

The group came to a halt. Jadie began speaking again. "Fitz, you'll be my assistant for the day. You usually seem to know what you're doing, a good quality, so I want you to be the one I have to entrust any sort of authority to," It made sense that she waited until Luke and Sam were out of eavesdropping range before she told Fitz what she wanted him to do for the day's dress rehearsal session.

"I appreciate your trust in me, Jadie, I'll do whatever I can to be of assistance," replied Fitz. Jadie smiled at him in return before motioning him towards a long table that had been set up in the hallway outside the dressing rooms. Various papers and other file-type things covered it like a blanket of snow in northern Illea.

A schedule was placed in his hands when Jadie approached the table. It appeared to be a detailed listing of how the dress rehearsal was to work over the course of the next few days, complete with stage directions and when the choreography groups were supposed to spend time finishing up their dances on to the actual stage itself to learn how they could maneuver on it correctly.

"The girls will start getting dressed soon, we're just running through the dances pieces today, along with choreography groups. I need you to go and find our fashion designers and store owners and sem=seamstress so we can make sure everything fits correctly. Kayleigh, Abrielle, Flavaia, Lisbeth, maybe Avriella, and any others you can think of. They know that I'll have someone coming for them," explained Jadie. She acted as though the would be in a place he could enter, not a dressing room that all three boys were instructed to stay far away from during the rehearsals.

To his eternal relief, an assistant had already moved the necessary girls into a satisfactory clump near the portable costume shelves, where they hung in clear plastic bags off of a hangar. The girls spotted him and pointed him out to the others who hadn't yet.

"Everyone, Jadie has instructed me to help all of you in the checking of the costumes. Would it be possible for you to deliver them to the correct girls? I can't exactly do that, as you can probably tell," said Fitz, causing the gaggle of females to laugh. Abrielle began to slide the shelves over to the others in the group.

It wasn't long before a parade of wheeling shelves and fashion oriented girls were moving down the halls, sporadically stopping and handing off various costumes to the girls that would poke their heads out of their dressing rooms. Fitz found himself walking alongside them and checking for errors in the costume distribution as they moved along. There were a few notable incidents where a mix-up occurred, but none so great that they had to alert Jadie of them.

Adjustments to the costumes started once a few of the selected began to alert them of difficulties in putting the outfits on. Lisbeth and Abrielle immediately took to helping the girls out, needle and thread held securely in hand like a magic wand, performing alterations faster than Fitz could determine what the issue with the costume was in the first place.

Others, such as Flavia and Kayleigh, were doing whatever Abrielle and Lisbeth couldn't get to quickly enough. Girls who were already in costume for the jazz pieces were assisting their peers with things like hairstyling and makeup application. Mae Fleur, an actual hairstylist, was finding herself practically swamped with a mob of girls who needed to have their hair tied into the correct ponytail for their dance.

"Fitz, would you mind helping me with my hair piece?" asked Albany. He nodded and somehow managed to secure it in her dark hair with a few handy bobby pins from the accessory table. Albay gratefully thanked him then rushed off to prepare for her quick change later in the rehearsal.

The quick changes would be especially hard for the girls fated to do them. The performance was scheduled so the beginning piece would be before the intermediate so none of the girls in it had to change faster than the speed of light, but the mediocre girls would still be required to change in one song. The advanced girls were given a little more time even though they would have handled the change better than the others.

Tap shoes against the floor could be heard when the girls in the beginners tap routine came out to retrieve their hats. It was hard for them to not make large amounts of noise as they moved in their sound producing shoes.

"Fitz, you'll ensure that all of our ballet outfits are ready for us, right?" Kira came up to him with the two other ballerinas and Mazie O'Keeffe following close behind her. Isa stepped forward to correct her so Fitz didn't have to speak out against the spirited ballerina. "We have the intermediate piece before that,Kira. They'll make sure we have time to change during the tap routine and the gymnastics segment," said Isa, smilin at everyone in her amiable way.

Just then, as the advanced group of dancers prepared to spray their ponytails with the fruit-scented can of hairspray to make it stay, Jadie came striding down the hallway like a conquering war hero. All of the selected in the vicinity cleared a path for her in fear of being trampled on by her extremely high neon green heeled shoes. Jadie cleared her throat and looked around at everyone, including the girls peering out of the dressing rooms.

"We'll be starting the marking period and on-stage rehearsals soon. Advanced Jazz girls, please proceed to the backstage area at once. Mediocre Jazz should be prepared to go backstage as they finish up, I'll have your assistant notify you when it's time. Carry on!" announced Jadie.

Activity resumed in the hallway, and Jadie marched over to the place that Fitz was standing in his desperate attempt to not become roadkill from the hurried movements of many girls. He recognized that he would be following her to a currently unknown location to manage the advanced girls as they went through their stage marking and their full run-throughs of the dance they would perform.

"We'll be heading into the backstage area, Fitz. I already let Luke and Sam know what they'll be doing for the performance, let's hope they don't mess it up like I suspect they will, they're connected to a communication system that's been set up in the wings for us," The curly-haired planner walked next to Fitz as they navigated the hallway with varying degrees of success. More than one girl accidentally had trodden on Fitz's feet during their weaving walk.

Backstage, the girls of the advanced group were preparing to walk through their complex dance on the actual stage. No teacher accompanied them, as the process to get the teachers into the center itself before the performance was much too difficult for the guards back at the palace, meaning the girls would figure it out.

"This is His Royal Awesomeness, reporting in. Copy," came a crackling voice from a handheld communicator that was connected into the backstage wall. It was Sam, obviously, as no other individual in the palace except his mindless brother would be idiotic enough to use the communicator in that way.

Luke's voice swept over them shortly after. "Um, Jadie, are you there? Can you tell Sam how to work the light system again? He's already forgotten," said Luke's disembodied voice. Jadie sighed and proceeded to say a long, complicated list of instructions into the system.

Fitz waited for Jadie to complete her instructions to his brothers, then watched as she turned back to him. "Have the advanced girls arrived yet?" questioned Jadie, attempting to see around him to find out where the girls might have been located at that time. Neither of them were able to correctly pinpoint where the girls were at that moment in time. That prompted Jadie to storm off in a frustrated stride to figure out why they weren't where they were supposed to be.

"There you are! Stick with me next time, please. You can go mark through your dance now," instructed Jadie. Isa thanked her and lead the three others girl out of the right wing and onto the stage itself. Jadie quickly sent a message to Luke to let him know that they were just marking the dance and that he didn't need to cue the music for it quite yet.

The four girls started their dance on the stage, spread out around it so they could each begin at a separate time in the music. Isa was the leader of the group, from what he could see, and she spoke the counts out loud to let the others know when movement was necessary.

"Fitz. Come with me, I want to check on the preparations for the other costumes backstage while the girls mark their dances," whispered Jadie, already halfway out the door and motioning to him with that ever-present clipboard of hers. He moved across the backstage area, careful to not let Mazie run him over when she dashed off the stage during their pre-dance marking.

Jadie lead him out the door and into what must have been the costume storage area. "All of the costumes for each choreography group should be labeled on each rack. Make sure that each one has six or seven and that each bag has been neatly labeled with the name of one of the dancers in that group. It doesn't matter whether the name is of the right girl, you don't need a list of who's in each group to do this. Just get it done," she said.

He moved towards the first costume rack. A white paper sign had been taped to the front of it, giving it the name of "Group One Costumes". It was easy to tell that there were seven costumes on the rack, and his work would have been done if Jadie hadn't of told him to check each one for a neatly written name on the clear bag.

It appeared that all seven costumes had been labeled correctly, so Fitz moved on to the next rack. Jadie had suddenly ducked out the door to yell at a few unobedient assistants. She seemed to be angry that the theater staff was so incompetent when she'd been outvoted on letting them go through without the background checks that the mostly competent dance teachers would have had to do.

A second rack, and then a third, and finally a fourth passed. Jadie still hadn't returned from her furious shouting at the assistants. Fitz was wondering if she was back in the backstage wings to observe the dances. The advanced jazz group would have surely finished by now, he wouldn't have been surprised if they were already on the beginning group, which came after mediocre.

"I'll send one of those idiots in to finish this job, you can come with me backstage," said Jadie, suddenly reappearing in the doorway with a disgruntled scowl on her face. Fitz gladly removed himself from his position next to the costume rack for Group Five and walked over to her as quickly as he could.

"The intermediate dance is going on now, after that is the choreography groups. I've decided to have you tap out with Luke and go up to the control booth to man the lights. I don't want Sam being alone with him, you're probably the only one who can keep him doing what he's supposed to do for any extended length of time when he doesn't feel like cooperating with our wishes," explained Jadie. It was considerate of her to fill him in on the current going-ons of the rehearsal.

"The entrance to the control booth is this way, correct?" Inquired Fitz, gesturing towards a nearby door that Sam and Luke had exited through earlier on their way to the lighting and sound direction area.

"Yes. Just follow the signs, you're intelligent enough to read them," replied Jadie as she moved to turn on the communicator. He could faintly hear the voices of his brothers drifting out of the communicator when Jadie alerted them that he and Luke would be changing places.

Signs pointed FItz up a rickety metal staircase that was quite a worrying thing to climb, then down a twisting hallway that must have gone the entirety of the theater's length in the set path towards the light and sound control room. He was rather surprised when he didn't run into Luke on his way, but he deduced that there must have been another exit and entrance out of the control booth area he was traveling to.

Metal creaked as Fitz cautiously opened the door of the room. Living with Samuel Schreave was enough to make any rational human careful when opening doors, water ballons and eggs were a common prank that the youngest triplet enjoyed immensely. Fitz was glad when he remained perfectly dry and entered through the doorway without having any unfortunate accidents occur in the general vicinity of where he was standing at that moment.

"Jadie told me you were coming, like, five minutes ago! You took a really long time to get here, Fitz, and I'm turning into a popsicle even more every second I'm doomed to sit in this cursed pit of freezing death!" complained Sam, crossing his arms and spinning around in the wheely chair that he was sitting in **.**

Fitz shook his head at Sam. "Give me the communicator, I want to let her know I finally completed my tedious journey here,"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I want this to be a longer chapter so people would enjoy it more, but I had to wrap it up here if I wanted to get it out tonight.**

 **Hawaii questions! They're due May 26th, please try to get them in before then if you can. I've gotten them from a handful of people, and almost everyone did a wonderful job, but one or two people did submit it with one word answers. I want at least one sentence per question, just so I can feature the characters in more detail.**

 **Remember to review if you liked this chapter or just the story in general!**


	40. Dress Rehearsals, Day Two

Prince Sam's POV

Day two of dress rehearsals for the performance was finally beginning to kick into action. On this day, however, no dance groups or choreography teams would be taking their place on the stage. A large number of instruments and the girls who actually knew how to play them was going to be front and center for what always seemed like an eternity for Sam.

The music section meant that he wouldn't have to sit in the control booth all day, which was a good thing, but it also meant that he had to find some other way to entertain himself. Jadie had made it more than clear that she wasn't going to assign him tasks when he was goofing off so much. He was left to wander around the building with nothing to do, extremely bored after he'd been removed from the dressing room area because he'd been in the way.

Fitz's sudden arrival in the hallway he had been sulking in was what saved him, though Fitz wasn't going to think of it that way when Sam began to follow him around like a very attached puppy. His face turned into an expression of complete annoyance when Sam started to pester him with questions.

"So, like, why is it even called a ferry? Those are supposed to be boats. It makes no sense at all!" complained Sam. Fitz shook his head and breathed out a long-suffering sigh of exasperation. Still waiting for an answer to his very important question, Sam continued to look at his brother.

"It's called a ferry because it transports us from place to place, just like an actual ferry does. I had no part in choosing the name of the transport. You can bother Jadie if you decide to relentlessly campaign for a name change," replied Fitz, increasing his speed to try to escape. This would be fun if Jadie didn't swoop down and steal Fitz away for some other boring task for him to do.

Unfortunately for Sam, Illonie Everill came walking down the hallway like she was on a mission. He recognized that she was a girl that Fitz had gotten along pretty well with. Would the universe ever let him pester his brother and had some fun for once?

"Fitz! We need you to help us fix one of the instruments in the band. The orchestra was working on our piece that we do with them and a music stand fell on the drums, can you see what's wrong with it? You seem like you'd be great at that!" said Illonie as she approached Sam and Fitz. The positive encouragement she gave Fitz lead to Fitz following after her faster than Sam thought he could move.

Now he had nothing to do. Maybe watching the rehearsal would be a good idea, but Sam thought that he'd end up being accused of disrupting the proceedings or something and would get kicked out before he could even walk through the theater door. All of his other options were even more lame, as they mostly included doing things that would make Jadie's head explode and get him sent to the dark abyss of the control booth forever.

Sam walked down the hallway that he had been following FItz down before Illonie popped out of nowhere. He didn't see anyone else, which was unfortunate, but now he could plan to do something without being interrupted by the girls again.

"I think I found him!" said a voice from back behind where he had just left. Sam turned, expecting to see Jadie with Fitz and Illonie by her side, and nearby pooped his pants when he saw a giant group of the selected heading straight towards him in a massive, misshapen mass of people wearing various colors of stage makeup and black skirts that he could have probably worn as a very nice short sundress type of thing.

"Wha..?" stuttered Sam. The mass of girls encircled him like a pack of wolves wearing uniforms and makeup. Alette was the one who emerged as the immediate leader of the group when she stepped forward, being the one who had first spoken. She seemed like she was about to talk again when Averian stepped in front of her in the full outfit for the orchestra and the choir at the exact same time, which was an odd combination.

Averian smiled at him. "Sam, do you want to come watch the orchestra rehearsal from backstage? You can let us know what you think of our songs and how well we played them," She said. Some of the girls behind her nodded in agreement.

"Sure, sounds cool," replied Sam. It would give him something more interesting to do, though it wouldn't be his first choice of a good way to spend his time during the day two dress rehearsal. He hoped that none of them would figure out that he couldn't tell the difference between a violin and a viola. To him, they were like the same instrument without any visible differences between them. Was a viola smaller than a violin? He might have been told that by someone once.

Alette looked more than grumpy at Averian's interruption. Sam sensed that she had been planning to ask him to do a different thing than what Averian had just suggested, a thing that was more fun for him given what Alette was like, but his senses were often wrong on stuff like this.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to come hang out with the group of us that weren't doing anything today. Along with the orchestra, chorus, and band rehearsals on stage, the fashion designers have been getting ready for their fashion show segment and the skit and poetry people are working on their sections for the performance as well," said Alette, glaring in Averian's direction.

Sam knew that he would probably have to chose between the offers and end up offending someone. From what he could see, Alette's group of girls currently included Dakota, Aurelia, Pandora, and a few other random selected. They had most likely ended up walking around together after they had realized they'd been left with nothing to do for the entirety of the day two rehearsals. With dancing yesterday and pieces of the visual arts tomorrow, these girls were completely free.

"I think I'll go with Alette. Sorry, Averian, I might stop by later and see what's going on," replied Sam, making his decision. Averian rolled her eyes and looked like she was going to fire back with some biting insult, but stopped herself and walked off.

Many of the girls in the orchestra, who had mostly just been there because they were waiting to start, followed Averian down the hallway. Sam and the others watched them leave. Alette shrugged before turning back to Sam with a large grin lighting up her face.

"I found a place we can sit around and talk. It's not far from here if we want to go there," suggested Aurelia. The usually joyful blonde seemed a little bit subdued today, but it was probably just from the lack of things to do. She was still smiling around at everyone in a way that would have made Sam's mouth hurt if he had twisted his face like that for more than a few seconds.

Pandora nodded at Aurelia. Sam was glad to have an excuse to spend time with Pandora, he hadn't really seen her since that night on the rooftop. "That sounds good. Lead the way!" She said. Aurelia motioned for the group to follow her and began walking in the opposite direction from the way that Averian had gone, the air conditioning in the building causing her hand to flutter about as they moved together.

Aurelia took the lead, Alette falling into step next to her as the two girls struck up a conversation. Dakota and Pandora flanked Sam like they were prison guards and he was a high security prisoner. They were either worried that he'd try to leave them himself or that another group of girls would come and try to steal him away to watch them do a performance thing like Averian had done only minutes before they started to walk down the hallway together.

"Here it is! Everyone in," exclaimed Aurelia. They had arrived at a door that was labeled with a sticker that read "Performers only". Aurelia had opened the door to let Alette pass into the room before she walked in after her.

Sam frowned. "Do I count as a performer? And will we be interrupted by the other in here?" Aurelia shook her head without answering either of his questions and gestured for him to enter the room before she closed the door behind the five that were in the group of people.

"You do! Besides, you're a prince, no one would say no to you. It seems like no one else has found this place yet," replied Dakota. She acted like she was stating something that should have been very obvious to everyone in the room.

The room itself was a good size, with the same hard tiled floors as the hallways. Lime green paint covered the walls from top to bottom. It mixed nicely with the yellow couches that were arrayed in a sitting area that took up most of the room, a coffee table in the middle, colorfully patterned rugs that were under the couches there so performers could take a break from the sleek modern lines of the rest of the center's hallways and atriums.

"What were you four doing before you found me?" asked Sam. He looked at each of the girls as he attempted to guess what they had been participating in before the stampede had swallowed him whole unexpectedly in the hallway ambush.

Alette was kicked back on one of the couches, hands up behind her head and her legs crossed as she sat. "I was sitting in one of the dressing rooms talking to Mazie before she had to leave for the orchestra. That was when I left the dressing room and found Pandora, Dakota, and Aurelia in a similar situation in the hallway outside the dressing rooms. What about you?" She said.

"I was wandering the hallways and bothering Fitz. Illonie brought him to Jadie before I could really annoy him," replied Sam. He laughed at his words and Aurelia giggled in accompaniment. "It wasn't that long before I was ambushed by your and Averian's giant stampede of girls ready to shred me into tiny, bite-sized prince morsels to eat still half-alive and mostly not yet dead," continued Sam, causing Dakota to make a face.

"I don't think we were going to engage in cannibalism and get ourselves kicked out of the selection, possibly also thrown in a mental asylum, but it's nice to know that you have that level of confidence in us," remarked Pandora. Everyone in the room laughed.

Aurelia plopped down on the couch next to Alette and Pandora. Dakota sat on the other couch, Sam taking a seat on a spare chair that was pushed up against on of the room's bright lime green walls. The chair was comfy enough that didn't feel the need to move to one of the couches next to the girls.

"How were the rehearsals yesterday? I was up in the control booth, I couldn't really experience any of the random stuff that probably happened to all of you backstage. The costumes did look nice, though, it was interesting seeing everyone wearing them. I could imagine them being uncomfortable when you had to be in them in front of everyone else," said Sam. Dakota considered this before replying.

She shrugged. "I guess it was weird. I was only in the beginning jazz piece, and our costumes were okay, even though it took the assistants forever to figure out how to get my hair into the hairstyle that had been chosen to go with our costumes. It was the braids that lead into pigtails," said Dakota.

"The tap costume was embarrassing for me," Alette frowned at the memory of the outfit. "Doing the dance was fine, but having to wear the costume was absolutely terrible. I felt completely stupid in it, it definitely didn't help me feel any better performing, and having to smile in it during the entire dance was just a total nightmare for me," She shuddered and rolled her eyes.

Pandora prepared to enter her opinion into the conversation with a sigh. "The gymnastics costumes made me wish I could drop out of that part of the piece. One side of them is skin colored and the other is a black flames design. Your costume is still more terrifying than ours is," She said.

"Yeah. I noticed that a few of the tap girls looked like they were in pain during marking the dance and when they did it fully. I'm glad I don't have to wear a costume, I just have to sit in the audience and try to stay awake," laughed Sam, knowing that he'd probably end up drifting off during the ballet segment.

"Some of the dances really are a bit boring, aren't they? At least all the choreography group pieces are interesting. You wouldn't have seen those, Sam, but I think all the groups did an awesome job with putting the steps together! All the song choices are just wonderful, I get most of them stuck in my head whenever I see one of the girls in the other groups practicing some of their steps of the dance," exclaimed Aurelia happily.

A short silence followed Aurelia's words, not because everyone thought what she was saying was wrong, but because they had all heard the footsteps that had suddenly started to come from the hallway outside the room.

They heard voices coming from directly outside the door. "I'm going to check this room. Jadie did say she wanted to have the girls who weren't doing anything and Sam back in the auditorium so they could organize those spare papers, maybe they're all sitting together in here. That would be nice, then we wouldn't have to keep looking everywhere else," said a voice. It sounded a little bit like Illonie Everill, the girl who'd been with Fitz earlier.

"I think you should proceed with that. Jadie wouldn't exactly be enthused if we took more than ten minutes to locate my younger brother and the selected that didn't have anything else to do. However, you should just peek in quickly so we can continue if they aren't in there," replied the voice. Sam mentally groaned, because that was most definitely Fitz.

Everyone inside the room silently panicked when they heard that they would be forced to sort through boring paperwork for the rest of the day's dress rehearsal, knowing that Jadie wouldn't just stop after they'd completed that first mind-numbing task.

"Hide!" whispered Dakota, causing all four girls and Sam to instantly spring out of their sitting positions on the couches and in the chair. They all looked around before practically diving towards a hiding spot when the door started to creak open at a fortunately slow rate.

Dakota hide behind a couch while Aurelia flung herself into the open door of the coffee table's storage compartment that was meant to hold board games or random junk. It looked like it was a tight squeeze, but she managed to curl herself up into a tiny ball like an armadillo and close the cabinet door all the way behind her so they wouldn't find her by just looking around the room.

Alette went to another uncomfortable looking hiding spot, spotting the vending machine and wedging herself behind it. It was next to the wall and a tall bookshelf, so she wasn't in any danger of being found even if Fitz and Illonie started to search the room. They wouldn't, though, because they'd have no idea that the girls and Sam had heard them talking and that they'd actually have enough time to hide themselves in secure spots.

Pandora took the last of the good hiding places. There was a closet in a corner of the room that was the perfect size for someone to duck inside the cardboard box inside it and close the flaps. It was kind of funny to watch her realize that she needed to close the closet door and clamber back out of the box to shut it quietly so she was totally hidden from the outside intruders that were almost into the room.

At this point, Sam realized that he should have started moving more than a few seconds ago. Watching the girls hide had been an extremely dumb and idiotic decision on his part when Illonie was already beginning to open the door so she could try to find them. He really didn't want to sort paperwork alone.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. The closest thing to Sam was the unusually large trash can that looked more like it belonged outside a nice house in the suburbs than in the room they were currently hiding in. Diving at it, Sam threw open the lid and found himself sitting curled up inside the thankfully only half-full trash can. He raised a hand to close the lid. The world went completely dark, all he could do to find out what was happening was to listen through the thick plastic.

When the stench inside the vessel reached him, Sam nearly gagged and blew his cover, but was able to squeeze his nose shut with his hand and breath through his mouth. He could hear footsteps inside the room at last. Illonie must have been talking to Fitz as she opened the door, that must have been what had given him the time to hide in the stinking pile of who knows what.

"I don't see them. Do you think they went somewhere else, or that they already moved on?" asked Illonie, probably looking around the room. Another set of footsteps came through where Sam thought the door must have been.

"They must have changed to another location in a different area of the building earlier in time. We could catch up with them if we begin to search now, Illonie, we should get started," replied Fitz. He must have been standing still in the doorway because the footsteps stopped abruptly.

"If you say so. I'm sure we'll catch up to them, though, so let's go!" exclaimed Illonie, always the optimist of the group. Her lighter sounding footsteps moved out of Sam's earshot. She'd left the room, or at least was standing in the doorway with Fitz. However, Fitz's footsteps hadn't started up again, so he was still within a good distance of seeing inside the room. Sam would have to suffer through the stink for another few seconds.

When they started, it sounded like the footsteps of Fitz weren't leaving the room but going farther into it. "I thought I just heard something. Illonie, wait just a second. Is anyone in here? You'll be in a large amount of trouble if Jadie hears you tried to hide from her. I would come out peacefully if I were you, Sam, maybe she'll let you off on control booth duty tomorrow instead of sorting paperwork for an extra day," said Fitz.

Sam nervously held his breath in the pause that followed. Tension filled the room, Fitz probably waiting for him to pop out and surrender, Illonie halfway out the door and probably thinking that Fitz had gone completely off his rocker for talking to a seemingly empty room.

"Fitz. Please, I don't think there's anyone here. You might think your brother is like that, but I think he wouldn't do something that took such a toll on your well-being," said Illonie, her voice sounding farther away from his position in the trash can than it had the last time she'd spoken to Fitz. From what he could tell, Fitz considered her words with a slight pause before following her out of the room when the footsteps that sounded like they belonged to him drifted off.

Unfortunately, it was going to be a at least a few minutes before Sam could get out of the stinky trash can and out into the clean smelling rooms of the performance center. He really hoped that the others would stay inside their hiding spots until they were sure Fitz and Illonie were gone.

His brother was smart enough to linger around to see if anyone emerged from the room after he'd left, just in case,walking down the hallway and primed to turn at the slightest sound to catch Sam and the girls red-handed. The trash can wasn't thin enough to let him see out of it or tell if they had actually left the room. Besides, the stench was starting to get into his head and make him feel kind of weird.

After what seemed like forever, Sam finally cracked open the trash can lid up a tiny bit. Light filtered in from above. He couldn't see if any of the others were out yet, but it had been long enough that Illonie would have used her wonderful optimism to drag itz back to wherever Jadie was waiting.

"Sam! There you are, we weren't sure where you'd chosen to hide," said a voice from outside his trash can. Sam fully opened the lid and heard it thud against the back wall of the room. It took a large amount of shuffling and sliding for him to get into a standing position inside of the trash can, and even more effort to actually get his head poking out of the badly-smelling garbage container.

He looked around to see the girls staring at him with odd expressions on his face. "So, um, I'm guessing that I'm covered in trash," said Sam, breaking the awkward silence. All of the people in the room suddenly burst out laughing in that moment, including Sam.

"The trash can! Sam, you're brilliant! I can't believe that you were able to hide that quickly. I thought you were done for! Geez, you were able to get into that thing remarkably fast, I couldn't have done that," replied Dakota.

Pandora was laughing so hard Sam thought she might fall to the floor and spontaneously combust. Her laughter made the others giggle even more than they already were. "He's surprisingly good at hiding, actually. I've seen him hide everywhere from closets to laundry baskets. By the way, Sam, you've got muck all over yourself from the trash can," said Pandora, struggling to talk between loud bursts of amusement.

"Seriously? Shit. Jadie will kill me if she sees me like this, and Fitz will find us out. Does anyone know where the nearest bathroom is?" asked Sam, looking down at his soiled clothes in disgruntlement.

Aurelia nodded, and the group began to follow her out of the room. They moved quickly to avoid anyone seeing Sam covered in the slimy stuff that he'd been coated in while in the garbage bin. Thankfully, the bathroom wasn't that far away. It was a one-person room with a toilet in a corner, a stand-up sink that looked relatively clean, and a shelf full of various bathroom necessities for toilet paper refills and stuff like that.

"Here. Aurelia, Dakota, you two can find somewhere safe to sit that we can find whenever we're done. Make sure no one sees you, none of us want to do paperwork in the auditorium with Jadie by our sides. Alette and I will help Sam clean up," said Pandora.

Aurelia and Dakota quickly left the room with furtive glances each way out the door before they went out into the hallway. Meanwhile, Alette and Pandora wet a few paper towels and located some baby wipes on the shelves. Sam busied himself by poking around the room, making an interesting discovery when he leaned against the back wall. It was a closet door, unlocked because it opened for him, and Sam eagerly checked to see what was inside.

He was disappointed when he saw it was empty without any shelves at all, just empty space, but his disappointment didn't last very long. All three occupants of the bathroom froze when they heard voices in the hallway. It would have been fine if those voices hadn't belonged to Ashla and Averian.

"I'm going to go wash this off. You can head back to the room, I'll be fine," said Ashla. Sam guessed that she'd fallen in rehearsal somehow during the practice and was coming to clean up a skinned knee or two. Pandora, Alette, and Sam all simultaneously looked at each other than at the closet. At least this wouldn't be quite as bad as the trash can had been.

The closet was a bit stuffy, but they could easily here Ashla washing out her wound when her footsteps entered the room. Being pressed up against the wall and having the top of Alette's head smashed into his cheek was kind of awkward. He really hoped that they'd get out of this situation soon.

At last, Ashla left the room and Sam cracked open the door of the closet with a relieved sigh. "Let's not do that again, okay?" he said to Pandora and Alette, both who had their hair sticking up at awkward angles because of the way they'd stood inside of the closet.

"I agree. Let's go find Aurelia and Dakota, I'm sure they'll have found a good spot by now for us to wait out the rest of the day," remarked Alette, attempting to fix her hair as they passed the bathroom mirror.

The three left the room, and Sam looked back behind him. At least he'd gotten all the slime of himself while they were in the bathroom.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I meant to get this chapter out over the weekend, but the selected aren't the only ones getting ready for performances! I also have some of my exams this week, but I'll do my best to get the last dress rehearsal chapter and possibly the first performance chapter out before Saturday if I have enough time to write.**

 **Remember, get those Hawaii questions in! The deadline is May 26th. I won't be taking any excuses from the people who I know have been reading, even if they have three or four characters, and I think I posted mention of it far back enough that people who knew they were busy could have asked me for them early a long time ago. They actually don't take that long, I did a sample one for Katelin in my free time and it took me less than twenty minutes to have a good amount of detail. That might not be the same for everyone, but nevertheless, get those questions to me before Friday! I don't want to use this method of finding out who to eliminate, but one of the reasons I do them is to find out who's actually reading, because it makes to sense to keep a character in if their submitter isn't reading, so they're really quite important.**

 **Thank you to everyone who already got the questions in, especially those who did them for more than one character and included detail, which all of those multiple-character people have so far. I appreciate your speed in getting them done!**

 **Don't forgot to review! They always make me smile, and I love getting to read what everyone thinks of the story. I've already been astounded by the support you've all given me with it, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it.**


	41. The Final Day of Dress Rehearsals

Prince Luke's POV

If anyone who wasn't used to Jadie's method of preparation and the usual craziness of the selection entered the America Singer Center for the Performing Arts, they would be more than slightly confused by what was going on at the very beginning of the third and final day of dress rehearsals for the performance. Though, in all honesty, Luke was starting to feel a little confused himself about the current happenings in the building.

"Attention! Stop talking, girls, we've got business to attend to. You're going to have to listen up if you want to do anything besides stand here all day. I will keep you here until you're all quiet. Is that clear?" asked Jadie, dressed in a royal blue colored pantsuit that was less bright than what she usually wore.

The planner continued to walk in front of the girls like a drill sergeant assessing new recruits. Orderly lines of the selected nervously shifted themselves to try and make a straight line, everyone really not wanting to get yelled at again after the incident back at the palace. Jadie was definitely in a bad mood today if her scowl and metamorphosis into a strict Illean Armed Forces general were anything to go by.

She stepped closer to the girls in the front of the lines, making Mae uncomfortably attempt to edge backwards into Kira. "I said, is that clear?" repeated Jadie. The girls immediately in front of her nodded feverently under her laser-beam gaze. They all looked relieved when she stepped back and began to pace in front of the whole group once again.

Luke felt a sharp elbow nudge his side as she silently intimidated the selected. He turned to see Sam being kept from moving at all by Fitz, who must have been the one who nudged him. Sam gave Luke a slight smile, which probably meant he wanted help so he could continue his attempt to escape from the room to continue the wandering around the halls of the building that he'd been doing yesterday during the rehearsal.

"Fitz. Let him go, Jadie will yell at him more anyway if she finds him. Sam isn't going to listen to whatever directions he's given," whispered Luke, checking to make sure Jadie was still busy signing off on the package that a terrified delivery man had just handed her as he looked around at the lines of girls.

Fitz relented, letting Sam slip out of his grasp. Sam happily grinned at Luke before ducking out of the door and going into a flat-out sprint that soon carried him down the hallway to an area out of Luke's line of sight. Fitz didn't say anything. He must have noticed that Jadie had finished signing off on the package, sending the scared delivery guy back out of the center, and was getting ready to start her speech to the girls again with her clipboard securely by her side.

After she cleared her throat, she glared around and her eyes landed on Fitz and Luke in their position on the raised back edge of the room that would usually contain ticket information. Luke glanced to the side of him to see what Fitz was doing. He seemed like he didn't care about Jadie noticing Sam's disappearance.

When she started talking, she didn't mention it. "This is the third day of dress rehearsals. Our last day before the performances, which makes this crucial in the process of making it a standard worthy of being presented in front of the king and queen and everyone else who comes to watch. We'll be doing a full run-through of the entire stage show and the visual arts team will finish up their work when they have time between appearances on-stage," said Jadie.

"I've lined you all up because it seems to be the only way to keep track of all of you after this morning's incident. I don't want to cause additional stress for those of you that work hard and pay attention, but measures must be taken, so this was absolutely necessary. You have been warned," Jadie glared at a few girls in particular when she talked about the incident. Surprisingly, Sam hadn't been included in the massive prank those girls had pulled on everyone.

"Dismissed," said Jadie. A collective breath of relief came from the lines of girls as they quickly moved to head to their dressing rooms, schedule packets held tightly in their hands so they knew where to be at the right time to make Jadie mildly pleased with their punctuality, or at least their effort to not get on her bad side.

He regretted his decision to stand with Fitz as soon as Jadie strode over to them in her blue outfit. With his luck, he'd end up in the control booth again or standing in the backstage wings without anything to do like he'd been forced into participating in yesterday.

"I have things for you two to do today. Fitz, you'll be my assistant again. I've found a palace tech person to man the control booth for today. Luke, I want you to help out with more than one of the girls and by yourself backstage. You'll be with Kinsey on snack distribution whenever she needs you, and with Taylor for doing makeup for the girls who can't. I would have chosen someone besides her, but you can always do it alone if you want to," began Jadie, smiling at the princes.

Fitz nodded and Luke did the same. "You'll help with hair because Mae will be very busy today, as well. And a few other things. Just walk around and do whatever needs to be done backstage. Oh, and if you see Sam, please make sure he isn't encouraging any of the girls to do anything disruptive. He might not have played a part in the earlier incident, but he still takes responsibility for the bad influence he's been over the past few days," Jadie continued.

With her clipboard in hand, Jadie turned to walk off in the direction of the executive office. Fitz sent Luke a measured look before following her off into the great unknown. Because of the wide variety of tasks that Jadie had recommended he do, it was probably in his best interests to get himself backstage and doing things before he had to scramble to get anything done at all.

The backstage area was close enough to where he'd been standing for Jadie's drill sergeant thing that he was able to arrive there fairly quickly. Running through the entire stage performance meant that the entire place was a hive of activity and girls desperately trying to attach hair accessories with little to no success.

Was he supposed to help with the hair thingys? Luke thought that it was something Jadie had told him to do. Helping out with hair was another thing, and doing makeup with Taylor's help sounded like it would end very, very badly. It seemed most of them had makeup and hair done already, and since he wasn't going to be one of the people assisting with quick changes for reasons that were pretty obvious, Luke hoped he wouldn't have to work in that zone at all.

"Luke! I'm glad you're here. You know the order of events, Jadie did tell you, correct?" asked Cosette, smiling at him with the sweetness she always seemed to have floating around her like a cloud of pink cotton candy. Luke wasn't completely sure, so he shook his head.

"Okay. It starts with the advanced group, then goes to mediocre. After that is the Beginning piece. Next comes intermediate, then the tap routine so the ballerinas have time to get changed. Then comes their group piece, before the gymnastics group and then the ballet solos. Our band, orchestra, and choir groups come after that, with break in between for the speakers. Skits and all of the musical theatre things come after that, then the choreography groups perform,"

Cosette, from what he knew, was in the orchestra and in one musical theater piece. She mustn't have been in anything before that because of the orchestra uniform she was already wearing with her music note pendant around her neck.

"Thanks, Cosette. Jadie told me I'm supposed to help out back here. I'm not positive I know what I'm doing here, is there anything I can help you with now?" asked Luke, hoping Cosette could lead him in the right direction of what to do until Jadie unavoidably came down and gave him more instructions.

Unfortunately, she shook her head. Cosette still smiled at him kindly when she spoke again. "I don't, but I'm sure the girls who're getting ready for pieces later on could use your help. The girls in the tap routine and those like Scarlet, she's right over there, might need assistance with getting their costumes on and fixing their hair into the right style. I know that it gets quite complicated for a few dances, they'd appreciate the help immensely," she said.

Luke nodded at Cosette before frowning. "Wait. Isn't Scarlet in the choir?" he asked, confused about how she could participate in that and still get her makeup on for her solo. "She's decided to accompany them from backstage so she doesn't have to worry about having to get the makeup on so quickly," replied Cosette.

That was weird, but he shrugged. "We've still got some time before she'll need your help, Luke, maybe you should go see if the girls in the beginning jazz piece need your help with their hair. They aren't doing ponytails like the rest of the jazz groups are. Can you braid hair? Oh, good. Here come Neaera and Jillian now!" exclaimed the brunette. Neaera and Jillian were indeed coming down the hallway towards them.

He hadn't even realized Cosette was gone when he turned to ask her another question. At least he could talk to Neaera and Jillian, along with possibly helping them, since they didn't appear to have their hair up in the correct style for the beginning jazz routine yet.

"Hi. Do you two need help with your hair?" Luke smiled nervously at the girls as they reached him. Neaera, who seemed to be the friendlier of the two from his past experiences with both of them, nodded. "Actually, yes. We were just going to try to find someone to make sure it was put up correctly," she replied.

Luke was about to attempt to help her when the intercom crackled to life. His first assumption was that something terrible had happened and Jadie was using it as an emergency form of communication to put them all under complete lockdown for who knew how long.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. "We are now officially starting the run-through. I repeat, we are now officially starting the run-through. Advanced should have been backstage five minutes ago and I want the next dance after them to go into the wings so they'll be there when it's time. The group after them, go into the wings to wait once the advanced dancers go back into the backstage area you'll be waiting in," said the slightly crackling voice of the official planner.

A sigh of relief escaped Luke, and he glanced over at the two girls near him with some slight worry that they might have seen his panic over hearing the intercom turn on. They didn't look like they'd noticed it.

Dancers in the mediocre jazz piece ran by Luke Neaera, and Jillian and quickly dashed into the wings. He recognized Elizabeth and Albany, but the others were harder to place because they were moving so fast. Those girls were already in their full costumes with their makeup done and their hair tied up in the required ponytail with the tiny braids leading into it from the front of their heads, unlike Neaera and Jillian.

"If you find a few hair pins and rubber bands, I could do your hair for you," suggested Luke. Neaera nodded. Jillian, however, seemed to be distracted by something that was happening farther down in the hallway. Luke peeked around her to see what it was. It looked like the others girl in their group were getting help from Mae with the complicated hairstyle Luke had just offered to help both of the girls with and hoped he could actually do.

Neaera noticed it too. "That sounds great! Jillian, if you want to go over with the others, you can do that," she said, smiling at the dark-haired three with her icy blue eyes shining. Jillian's eyes flickered over to Luke before she turned and walked down the hallway in the direction of the other girls in the beginning jazz routine. Luke wasn't offended, just a little confused about what had just happened.

When Neaera grabbed a few rubber bands and other hair supply things off the table, Luke found a stool for Neaera to sit on while he did her hair. She sat down on it after handing him the supplies. He wasn't sure where to put them while he started, so he just set them down on the closest available surface.

It was easy to start doing the hairstyle, so Luke decided to talk to Neaera as he did it. "Are you excited for the performance tomorrow? I noticed you were doing this dance, a narration thing, and you're in one of the choreography groups. The theme your group chose is pretty cool, it seems like a medley would be one of the more interesting dances performed," he said, hoping that he was doing the hairstyle correctly even though it was easy.

"I'm excited, but I'm also a little nervous. All of the things I'm doing are on stage and it would be easy for everyone to notice anything I do wrong. I think I'll do fine, though," replied Neaera. She seemed to be smiling, from what he could tell standing behind her.

"I'm sure you will," Luke responded, surprised at how quickly he was doing her hair. He was almost done with it, actually, and he'd expected for it to take him much longer than it currently was.

The last step was to use hairspray to make sure it would stay. He caused a cloud of sweetly-smelling stuff to come out from the can and waft around Neaera's head. "Oops. Sorry, that might have been too much. Well, I think I'm done, it looks like it's finished. Does it look okay? I'm sorry if it doesn't. I tried. You'll probably be going on soon, maybe you should go find the rest of your group so they don't worry about you," said Luke, frowning and feeling a little nervous.

She laughed. "It looks fine! Thank you, I'm glad you were the one to help me. Do you mind if I go over to be with the rest of my group now? We'll have to go backstage in less than a minute, actually," Neaera smiled at him and stood up when he nodded.

After making sure she made it backstage with the rest of her group, Luke decided that he'd go find Scarlet to help her with her stage makeup for her musical theatre solo later on in the day. She would probably need more than a little help, turning into a green person and making it so she could easily turn into Eliza from the Hamilton musical in less than three minutes right after she'd performed a song where she'd had to attach herself to wires and defy gravity.

Cila, who was going to be doing the part of Glinda during the song, also had to do a quick change, but all she'd have to do was leave the stage before the end of the song and change into Angelica Schuyler's dress. Because Scarlet wasn't able to be Eliza in Cila's solo, someone had managed to get Elizabeth to stand in for her during the parts that needed her in the song.

Spotting Taylor, Luke walked over to her to see if she knew where Scarlett currently was. "Taylor! Do you know where Scarlet's whereabouts are? I'm going to help her with her makeup for her solo, but I don't see her anywhere," he asked, hoping she'd know so he wouldn't have to talk to more people.

Taylor nodded. "She's already in her costume, with her Elphaba dress over her Eliza one. They haven't done her hair or hat yet because of the green skin. You can find her down that way," said Taylor quietly. She pointed down the hallway to the room designated for doing extreme makeup transformations and things like that.

Luke happily thanked Taylor and head down the hallway towards where Scarlet would be. Taylor seemed reserved and quiet, like usual, but at least she'd given him the information he needed to find where Scarlet currently was. It would have made sense for him to check the room first himself, though, since it was obviously the most likely place for her to be at this time with her makeup and everything she had to do.

Only one voice came from the other side of the door when he approached it. It must have been Scarlet. "Stupid green makeup! I don't know how they expected me to get this all on by myself, it's a nightmare just opening this container!" said the familiar voice.

It was Scarlet, something Luke could now confirm. He walked up to stand directly in front of the makeup room door and nervously knocked on it, hoping that she'd open it before he'd have to stand out here awkwardly for too long, checking the hallway around him to see who might see him standing there like a complete unintelligent and unhelpful cloud of flatulence.

"Luke! Did Jadie send you to help with my makeup? Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're here! Come in, I have no earthly idea what I'm doing," said Scarlet. The situation made it so she was less shy than she would have been when talking to him about something, or at least he thought it did.

The room was small. One side had a chair that must have been able to spin around, and a large thing of drawers that were neatly labeled with words that he couldn't read sat beside it. A large mirror with lights around it was hung up over a flat counter on one of the walls with three chairs pushed up against the counter for makeup application purposes. Nearby, a tiny bookshelf with books on technique and stage makeup sat looking very lonely and disused.

Scarlet was wearing her Elphaba costume already, just like Taylor had told him. It was a long black dress with detailing that matched what he had seen in pictures of the musical's main character. He could tell that she was wearing small-ish heels with pointed feet from when she had to tug the dress up to avoid stepping on, because she was smart and probably wanted to avoid tripping and being embarrassed.

"This is the green stuff I have to wear. You'll have to do my face with this brush, and I can just smear it around my neck. I'll probably be able to manage the makeup that goes on top of that. I'll have to redo that for Eliza later, though. They gave me green gloves to wear so we don't have to worry about that," she said.

He nodded. "Can you do the shadows and stuff as well? I can just paint your face with the green. I'll also probably end up helping you wash it all off later because you have such a short time to get changed," replied Luke. Scarlet must have been able to the the shadows and glided over to the chair with the material of her skirt held firmly off the ground with her hands in a continued effort to not trip over it and go flying to the floor.

With Scarlet in the chair and her hair tucked up in a ridiculous looking shower cap, Luke was able to pour the green face paint and powder into dishes that had been set out on the counter and find the brushes that he'd need to use for applying the green goop to her face.

Unlike doing Neaera's hair, a conversation couldn't make the process more enjoyable. Scarlet's facial motions would have messed up the makeup. Even moving her head to give him an answer would have caused problems, something he only realized when he began to get the makeup on the brush.

"I think I might have to do the makeup, too. I might have watched a video about the process a few years ago when I was going to get to see the show with my family," said Luke, frowning as he held the huge brush in his hand. He had Scarlet move the chair upwards so he could easily reach her face without bending down when applying the makeup. She nodded before he got to work with the green-covered brush.

The green that soon covered her face was actually still a far cry from the final look that she needed to have. Scanning the instructions that were laminated and put in a plastic folder for him to avoid any makeup getting spilled on them, he found that he'd have to go over it with a smaller brush and cover her ears in green.

She seemed to be trying not to laugh from the tickling feeling that she must have gotten when he applied it on her ears, Luke feeling a bit weird about the entire concept of doing this. He wasn't really sure why they couldn't have gotten an actual makeup artist to do this instead of him. The darker paint he had to put over the first layer definitely seemed like something that wouldn't usually be left to an inexperienced male who'd never worn makeup like this in his life.

Powder that looked white was the next thing he had to dust all over Scarlet's face. He felt even more awkward during this part. Next up came the makeup that went over the green, starting with the eyebrows he'd have to draw in with a black eyebrow pencil thing.

It was extremely difficult to make them even and look correct, but Luke was able to get them looking decent after a few minutes of trying. He wondered what was going on outside, on stage, if they'd already begun to do the dances for the tap group and such. Ten or fifteen minutes probably meant that they were now finishing up the ballet group routine and getting ready to put the tap girls on before the ballet solos started.

"Eyeshadow… on the eyes and on the cheekbones? Weird," said Luke aloud, frowning down at the instructions once again. Nevertheless, he did it, making Scarlet look more and more like Elphaba with every swipe of the makeup brush and every nervous checking of the instructions that he'd started to rely on.

Because he would feel even more uncomfortable doing the lip liner and the false eyelashes, Luke declared his hand in turning her into Elphaba done. "I'll let you do the last few steps with the makeup. Removal is supposed to take at least five minutes if we do it extremely quickly, but we'll have even less time than that. It says here that they'll be a professional here to help you during the actual performance but the paperwork hasn't gone through for today. Oh, and your wig!"

Scarlet turned to look at her reflection in the mirror, and gasped. "Wow! I look so cool! This is amazing, thank you, Luke!" she exclaimed as she began to put the finishing touches on the look by herself. "The wig and cap should be over there, I hope you can do that just as well as you did in turning me into the wicked witch of the west!" Scarlet stopped talking so she could put the black lip liner around her lips without making it all messed up.

Once he'd retrieved the wig and had made sure Scarlet's newly attached false eyelashes that he had no idea why they were even necessary were attached, Scarlet had to sit back down in the chair so he could cover up her blonde hair with the cap thing that would go underneath the wig.

"For Eliza, all you'll have to do is tug it back down and brush it so it looks nice," said Luke, making sure all of her hair was under the cap and wouldn't pop out during her solo for the performance. Scarlet smiled. "Sounds good," she replied, her eyes glittering with excitement about getting to do all of this.

The wig was tugged over her head, and he carefully made sure it would stay before putting on the hat as the last step in the process. Luke stepped back to admire their work. She really did look like she was about to go out and perform on Broadway when it had been in all it's glory, before Illea even existed.

"This is so amazing! Do you mind if I go find Cila and show her? Oh, and if you need something else to do, I think I heard Jadie prowling around the hallway a few minutes ago!" exclaimed Scarlet, standing up and doing a quick twirl around that made her heavy layers of dresses spin.

"Go ahead. I think I will go find Jadie, hopefully she'll be pleased with my attempt to help out backstage. I'm sure I wouldn't have done quite this good if it had been with anyone else. You were definitely a big help in the process," said Luke. Scarlet beamed at him again before practically running out the door and almost knocking down Jadie in her quest to show her friend her new green look, apologizing as she continued to dash towards Cila.

Jadie shook her head and dusted herself off before giving Luke a rare smile. "Wonderful job on her makeup, Luke. If you want to, you're welcome to take a break and watch the next few dances from the wings. I think you've done enough for now," she said, appearing nonplused about almost being knocked over.

Luke smiled back at her. "Really? Thanks, Jadie!" He said, moving to walk out the door. Luke felt more pleased with himself than he had in the last week. It was a good feeling, being able to help someone and create something amazing at the same time, and he hoped the selection would make it so he'd get to do even more interesting things later on. This was a different feeling from witnessing that morning's surprise paper streamer attack. It was one that meant he was finally starting to belong, whether it was with Scarlet and Neaera and the other girls, or just being with people who noticed him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter being delayed, but I hope everyone enjoyed it! I wanted to show everyone a different side of dress rehearsals, one more with what went on backstage in preparation, and I felt that having Luke attempt to be a makeup artist for the day accomplished that pretty well. Next chapter will be the first of the performance chapters! I'll do my best to get it out as soon as I can.**

 **For everyone who hasn't completed the questions for the Hawaii trip, I need those ASAP. The people who haven't gotten any of them in for multiple characters, whether it's two or four, will now have until tomorrow (May 28th) to get those in to me without any problems happening with showing their character at all during the trip or having them act in ways that the creators wouldn't like because I wouldn't have the information on what they'd actually do. Remember, I can use these to tell who reads the story and cares about what happens.**

 **As an incentive and something to thank everyone who has already submitted these important questions, I've decided that the girls who I've already received answers for will be in the running for dates with the princes and spending other time with them during the trip. The long car rides, possibly getting to spend more beach time with them, and others things will be included in this. I have ideas for almost all of the girls I've got questions for so far, it should be exciting.**

 **Don't forget to review if you enjoyed this chapter, or just have commentary on the story in general! I always appreciate the effort everyone makes to review, and I always like to read what you think of the story.**


	42. The Performance- Part One

Prince Fitz's POV

After two weeks of practice and intense rehearsals for the girls, a time period in which Fitz had found himself overwhelmed with the business of the selection, the day of the great performance had finally arrived. It was time for the girls of the selection to show the many people attending what they had worked on and what they were able to accomplish in their dedication to their country.

The most notable sign of anxiety in them was probably the way they'd been trying to find various activities to participate in at the palace before they had to travel to the center for preparation. Being surrounded by girls practically running through the hallways wasn't exactly what Fitz had wanted to do before they left.

Even when they did congregate into a teeming mass of individuals to leave the palace, not to return until the harrowing trials of the day were over, an adrenaline had seemed to flow through many of the selected and had caused them to increase whatever discernable personality they had by a rather high amount. This was the effect of Jadie telling them that the princes would be watching them, along with the rest of the rulers of Illea, in her speech before they'd set off.

Jadie had been one of the reasons that the girls were able to reach the center without any disasters occurring. She was remarkably calm for an event this massive and her tranquility must have passed into the others. The other possibility was that they were too scared of Jadie to worry about what might happen later, which might have been an option that had a higher probability of being the truth in this situation.

Whatever had happened since they'd left the palace and arrived at the center, it mustn't have been very important, because Fitz had all but forgotten about anything of note taking place before he'd ended up in the spacious room designated for the princes to wait in until it was time for the first show of the day.

"Sam, put that down. This is going to be insufferable if you don't stop playing with random objects," snapped Fitz, glaring at the youngest of the triplets. Sam looked up from inspecting the glass cylinder that was in the room as a decoration for purposes unknown to Fitz.

Sam begrudgingly set the glass cylinder down in it's proper place as a decoration and not as a toy. Fitz thought he could hear him mutter something under his breath, words that sounded suspiciously like "Party pooper," but Fitz was willing to give his brother the benefit of the doubt due to the fact that no member of royalty would use words as crass and juvenile as what he thought Sam had said.

Flopping down onto one of the room's two couches, Sam scowled up at the ceiling. "Are we at least going to leave this place soon? We've been here all afternoon, and I've got nothing fun to do!" he grumbled. Maybe he was more akin to a whiny toddler than a prince.

"If you define soon as leaving in ten minutes to go sit in the designated seats to wait for the beginning of the fashion show, then yes. The current time is 3:29 and the first event in the series of performances begins at 4;00 on the dot. You'll have to sit through around five hours of watching after that with minimal breaks for motion. Everything ends around 9:00, at the earliest possible time. I suspect we'll be here for cleanup and getting the girls back to the palace as well," Fitz replied.

Luke looked up from his slumped position on the couch. "I think we'll be here until midnight, knowing Jadie," he remarked, in a matter-of-fact voice that told Fitz that the middle triplet had already resigned himself to his fate. Sam was less than pleased to hear both of these statements.

The watch that Fitz wore on his wrist was going to be a key component in surviving the long day, potentially the only object that might assist him in his quest to keep the rambunctious and currently extremely whiny Sam under control.

One of the easier plans Fitz was creating in his mind was to leave the room now and take a longer route to the pavilion. He'd keep the pace slow, of course, but the changes in their surroundings around the route would make the incessant complaining coming from one of the the couches cease. Another variable would be any girls wandering around. It would be smart to refrain Sam from conversing with them and making the triplets late to the show.

"Luke, give me your helpful opinion. Would it be prudent to leave now and take a longer path so we arrive at the pavilion at the same time, or would it be an overall failure that couldn't possibly work in the intended manner?" inquired Fitz, sharpley pivoting to focus on Luke and his position on the couch. A noise came from the other couch, sounding like Sam was excited about the idea of leaving the room early.

Hesitating, Luke frowned and looked at Sam. It was obvious that he didn't like to be the one making any important decisions. Granted, that was usually Fitz's job since he was the oldest brother and the triplet most likely to be king of Illea on day in the far future. He eventually nodded in confirmation of the plan.

"Great! Let's go, people, I don't want to stay in here any longer than I absolutely have to!" exclaimed Sam. He was already almost out the door by the time Fitz crossed the room and slammed it shut in front of him.

He attempted to pry it open, but Fitz kept a firm hold on the handle. "Dude! Come on!" complained Sam, scowling at Fitz for what seemed like the millionth time in that short segment of ten consecutive minutes. Luke walked over with a sigh of his own and made eye contact with Fitz. It seemed he wanted to leave as well.

"I go first, but you two will walk next to me. Jadie will murder all three of us if just one happens to be late or missing. You two also aren't aware of the set course that I've chosen for us to use to travel to the correct location. If we see any of the guests, proceed to continue walking. We don't know if they have security checks or not. Anyone could be a potential threat," commanded Fitz, slowly opening the door for the three of them.

Thankfully, the walk went as he had planned. They were successfully able to kill twelve minutes and thirty eight seconds on the walk. The triplets weren't the first ones into the pavillion, either, Fitz was quite surprised when he found both of his parents smiling and waiting for them in the reserved section of the rows of chairs.

"Fitz, Luke, Sam! I must say that I had expected you three to be here by now, but I'm glad you finally made it. Sam. Make yourself more presentable, you look like you've been rolling around on the floor. Smooth your hair down while you're at it. Next time, try to do what Fitz does because he actually knows what he's doing, unlike you," said their mother, the beautiful Queen Kriss.

King Maxon smiled at the triplets before taking their mother's hand and leading her to their reserved seats. Three chairs for the boys were also set up next to them, in one of the best spots in the entire pavilion. Sam slumped over, while Fitz and Luke walked like normal human beings that weren't throwing a temper tantrum.

With the royal family all sitting down, the guards stationed at the opening were instructed to let the audience members file into the room. Many of them were well-dressed and appeared to be possessing a rather high social status. A surprisingly large amount of them, however, looked like normal citizens treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Fitz smiled at realizing this, it was good that the palace was able to give something like this to them.

Rows of chairs were filled with quietly whispering citizens in a relatively short length of time. Faint shadows flickered behind the curtains that separated the backstage area from the audience, odd shapes that must have been caused by the models already in their outfits. The starting time was fast approaching.

"They didn't even notice me," said a quiet voice from Fitz's right side, barely a whisper. He subtly looked over to see Luke with a dejected expression plastered across his face. Fitz felt a slight hint of some strong emotion when he looked at his brother, but quickly shook it off and focused on the proceedings once again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm delighted to welcome you to the first America Singer Center for the Arts Fashion Show! Today you'll see designs by our wonderful designers taking part in the selection, designs that they've created specifically for this purpose. Their effort towards this cause is to be commended. Now, let's get started with the fashion show!" an announcer had appeared on the wide stretch of raised floor that the models would walk down.

Polite claps came from the ocean of people in the audience, floating up to the roof and staying there like a heavy cloud of abandoned noise that sought an escape from the room without any success whatsoever, the applause soon fading away into nothingness.

Music started to play from the speakers that had been artfully stacked up in way that drew attention away from them. The lights lit up on the runway in dazzling colors meant to show off the outfits parading down them in the best possible way, the outfits that would soon be starting to reveal themselves to the audience.

Fitz didn't believe he had researched fashion shows in the past, which he was now regretting immensely. The internal workings of the fashion show were a mystery wrapped in layers of unknown terms and complex ideals that were proving to be challenging for his formidable mind to understand. Asking one of the selected who were well-versed in the industry would have been an insightful quest to complete before the day had arrived.

The first model walked out onto the runway. She wore dramatic makeup that wasn't suited for normal use, her hair slicked back and pulled into a complicated updo, clad in an outfit that was reminiscent of an ocean wave with foam splashing over onto the pale sandy beach. It was a dress of sorts, but calling it a dress wasn't the most correct term that could be used to describe it.

Strutting down the runway, the model balanced on her elevated high heels in a way that made them seem like simple ballet flats. The pivot and second-long pose she sprung into at the end of it didn't ruin her stride at all and she was perfectly capable of going back without any hesitation.

A camera flashed to capture the model and the one that was emerging from behind the curtain in a single picture. Wearing an outfit that could clearly be identified as one of Abrielle Crossdale's designs, this second girl had a build that deviated from the normal standards models often tailored their appearances to fit. Abrielle's designs were some of the best for those who didn't have the body of a doll.

Sam, separated from Fitz by the slightly dejected Luke, was scrutinizing the designs on the runway and the people watching them. Fitz could easily deduce that he was doing his best to observe the people attending the show with a fair degree of subtleness and quick glace that went unnoticed by most in attendance.

To Fitz's left, his mother and father were politely viewing the show with the posture of royalty and the dignity that benefited the rulers of Illea. Queen Kriss had deviated from her normal sitting position by gently taking her husband's hand in her own and occasionally squeezing it. The gesture was one of reassurance, though Fitz was unsure why it was actually necessary at this time.

More models proceeded to walk out onto the runway and move through the steps that their comrades had had flowed through previously. Diversity must have been an important point for the girls organizing it. Many of those walking had unconventional body types or ethnicities that weren't making them look like sugar cookies.

It soon became clear that the fashion parade was drawing to a rather slow and eventual close. Thirty minutes had passed remarkably quickly, but there wasn't must to describe that Fitz could consider even relatively interesting. The performances later and even the art gallery showing would be more of an experience for many of the guests in the audience and Fitz himself. He was grateful that the main stage event was the longest one scheduled.

A few final models strode through the circuit, then the announcer ascended to the raised platform once more. The wiry man waited for the collective members of the audience to become silent again before he cleared his throat and gave everyone a wide smile. It only flickered for a moment when he gestured to someone backstage to get another group to come out, revealed as being the girls organizing the show when they hurried to stand near him a few moments later.

"Everyone, please give a round of applause to our wonderful coordinators! Abrielle Crossdale, Kayleigh Hayes, Lisbeth Stewart, Flavia Beaufort, and Avriella Rhys. These young ladies created the designs and ideas for the entire show, and made sure it was as great as it turned out to be," said the announcer.

Loud clapping rose from the audience for the second time that day, the girls standing up on the runway looking a smidge uncomfortable as a whole. Lisbeth and Avriella seemed confused about why they were being included in this group, being the only two that weren't technically designers, but stayed silent.

It died down shortly, and the announcer surveyed the audience for the seventeenth time. "Now, you all are free to leave and wander around until the art gallery opens in fifteen minutes. I recommend that everyone at least leaves this area, even if you don't immediately head over there to wait for it to open up at the decided time. You're all dismissed," the announcer clapped his own hands together and gestured at the citizens sitting in the chairs.

Unlike many of the humans in attendance, the royal family continued to sit without any movement in the general direction of the exit that would lead the audience members fleeing the pavilion to a myriad of paths that eventually led to where the art gallery was.

"We'll sit for just a minute so we let the crowds clear out for our exit. You three are alright, Sam, you look a little pale. Fix your hair again. You'd think that a prince would have better manners, I thought I told you to fix it earlier, you must have just ignored me like you often do in your extremely rude and disrespectful way. I'll never understand why you couldn't be more like Fitz," said Queen Kriss, glaring in Sam's direction with narrowed eyes. She was quite intimidating.

Their father had drifted away to talk to the girls who had run the show and congratulate them on a job well done, causing the triplets and Queen Kriss to wait for him so they could leave the pavilion. Sam was attempting to move as far away as he possibly could from their mother.

After what seemed like an eternity, King Maxon returned to the royal family and smiled at each of them in turn. A deep sadness lurked beneath his brown eyes, but he was doing a remarkable job of keeping it hidden, putting on a pleasant facade that no one expect Fitz and potentially his Mother could see through. However, when Fitz glanced around at the group as they began to travel, he realized that Luke had also observed that something was making their father grieve.

King Maxon, once he had joined them, fell into step next to Fitz. Illea's oldest price surmised that a conversation would soon be started by his father. They had barely left what counted as the doors of the pavilion when King Maxon turned to him, smiling slightly. "What are your thoughts on the selection so far, Fitz? I can tell that Jadie has been keeping the girls much busier than they were during the last one," he said.

Fitz nodded. "It's been rather hectic, overall, but I believe they've enjoyed doing the various tasks they've been given. The performance came together quite nicely during the last dress rehearsal," Farther up, Queen Kriss was chatting amiably with Natalie, Celeste, and Marlee, who had recently arrived.

"I don't think these girls have completely taken over the Women's room, either. Girls probably spent most of their time in that room before Jadie became the planner. This is a change for the better, though, I can see that with clarity," King Maxon looked ahead at his wife and her friends with a pensive expression.

"Fitz, you would tell me if any problems arose during the selection, correct? If any of the girls were hurting each other, or doing something that they shouldn't be, maybe even joining Sam to travel through whatever random thing he uses to get around without being seen, you should let me know," Maxon said, frowning.

While it didn't make as much sense as Fitz would have liked it to, he gave his father a slight nod of agreement. "I will, if anything along those lines comes to my attention," replied Fitz. He noticed they still had to transverse the gardens to get to the art gallery.

Sweet smelling scents came from the carefully maintained flower beds to their left and their right when they entered the small stretch of gardens between two hedges, a sharp contrast to the sleek modern lines of the building nearby. It had the same pleasant feeling that the palace gardens did. Tranquility filled the air and danced in the breeze, gently ruffling the leaves that shaded the garden from above.

An urgent thought struck Fitz, making him frown. "Father, how does Sam get through the palace undetected? We would need to know if there was a method that the rebels could possibly exploit," he said.

Maxon shook his head, but looked fairly concerned underneath his mask of calm. "I'll look into it, but I don't know how important it is now," he said, frowning when his face slipped. "We should get to the art gallery,"


	43. The Performance- Part Two

Prince Sam's POV

For Sam, the whole idea of being stuck with his family all day while sitting and watching hours upon hours of arts related stuff was worse than getting teeth pulled by the dentist. He'd had to do that once, and it had hurt more than he'd care to admit. At least this experience didn't require him to cry like a baby and experience immense physical pain in his mouth area that ended in two gaping bloody holes in his mouth.

It would have been nice if his mom hated him a bit less. Getting used to her frequent bouts of loud shouting in his direction had taken time, but over the years Sam had mastered the fine art of not being hurt by her lack of concern for his feelings.

Another nice thing would have been his parents paying attention to Luke, since the middle triplet had always been ignored by both of them. Sam wasn't exactly close with either of his brothers, but he noticed that Luke wasn't included in much, and hoped that would change in a good way.

Queen Kriss and King Maxon really did seem to prefer Fitz out of the triplets. Never shouted at, never ignored, Sam and Luke were both always compared to him in ways neither of them wanted to be compared. Even Sam's pranks and crazy amounts of fun couldn't get him out of the shadow.

There was nothing he could do about it, anyways, and watching his parents dote on Fitz during the hours they all had to be together was a necessary evil. He just wished that he wouldn't only get attention when he was being yelled at. Today, he hadn't done anything and that insane demon witch that called herself his mom had attacked him about his hair. His hair, of all thing! Why should she care about that?

"Here we are. You can run off and do whatever you want to as long as it's quiet and polite, boys. Such as viewing the artwork and appreciating it. Find us before the performance on the main stage starts so we can all get our seats together, please," said Queen Kriss, turning back to Luke and Sam from where she was on the path ahead of them. Both Fitz and his dad were up there with her. Sam figured that people like them deserved each other.

Luke glanced sideways at Sam, trying not to be noticed, but Sam saw him and smiled. It wasn't like he wasn't a nice person. Sam just could be salty and be easily amused at the expense of others sometimes.

Sam looked at the outside of the art gallery as they approached it. The place had the same type of modern design as the other buildings in the area did, mainly the main building since everything else was a temporary pavilion thing. Seeing some of the girls wandering around, Sam wondered if he'd missed something important. Were they doing something without Jadie's approval? Did any of them actually care about what they were supposed to be doing?

He knew for a fact that Pandora, Cameron, Averina, and Dakota would all be here. The artists were required to stand or walk around the art gallery during the entire hour it was open before running back to the dressing rooms to prepare for the dances.

Cold air hit him in the face as soon as he had walked in the door, making him shiver. Air conditioning didn't have to freeze a person to death, those stupid idiots should have known that by now. It was like someone had shoved him in a freezer. If a giant reached down and grabbed him, thinking he was a popsicle, Sam wouldn't be all that surprised. Screaming in terror and desperately calling on his will to live, but not surprised.

The rest of the Schreaves were already moving away from the door and into the gallery. Luke, demonstrating his smarts, was going in the opposite direction of Fitz and their parents. He'd probably enjoy the art, unlike Sam, who was more interested in talking to the girls that had made it.

"It's not that cold in here, you know," said a voice from behind him. Sam turned around to see Dakota standing there with Averian close behind her, wearing a knee-length dress with short sleeves in a blue color that was deeper than the shade Dakota was wearing herself.

Sam grinned at the sight of the two girls, and they both laughed. "Seriously. It's not the Arctic!" exclaimed Averian. The tall brunette smiled at him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear in a quick and frustrated movement. "I think I have temperature issues. I'm either too hot or too cold, never in between. It's like I'm either in the Sahara desert or chilling with some polar bears up north. Get it? Chilling? " replied Sam, causing the three of them to laugh again.

One of his main rules was that someone had to appreciate his terrible puns to be friends with him, and these girls both followed that rule perfectly. Some girls in the selection didn't, but he didn't really mind. Fitz could have them. Luke needed someone with a sense of humor, that boy could do with a little laughter.

"So, do you want to see some of our art? We can just show you our favorites and stuff," asked Dakota, her icy blue eyes shining as she looked in his direction. Averian nodded and looked at him hopefully. It probably wouldn't kill him to hang out with the girls, he just had to make sure they didn't run into Fitz or his parents or anyone else that could yell at him and make him feel lower than a fish turd.

"Yeah. Sure, that would be cool. Could we just try to avoid my family? I mean, not Luke, he's mostly decent, but everyone else. I don't want to deal with my mom screaming at me because my shorts are tucked into my socks or something insane like that," he said, nodding.

Dakota and Averian both seemed to understand, and they somehow both went to either side of him and looped their arms into either of his. Were the telepathically connected? Before today, he wasn't even positive they were friends or had actually talked with each other before. Maybe the performance had caused them to get to know each other better because of all the time the girls had been spending together with regular rehearsals and the dress rehearsals.

"If we see Pandora, we can grab her too," remarked Averian while Dakota pointed out random pieces of art hanging on the walls. They were in a section that was one of the few not filled with things done by the girls, this one contained art from a famous artist that lived somewhere in Angeles.

Letting Averian know that he approved of that plan, Sam nodded. "Sounds good," he replied. The trio walked through the small section of the gallery quickly, not stopping to look at anything yet. Sam kept nervously checking behind them to see if someone like Jadie had started following him in hopes of catching him doing whatever was against the rules and reporting him to his mother.

"We're almost to my section, Sam. It's a bunch of my architectural drawings for buildings and such. I did some of them here, but I used some of my old drawings from home because I didn't have enough time during dress rehearsals to finish enough for a full gallery," said Dakota.

A few of the random visitors to the gallery kept giving the three of them strange looks. None of them cared, though, and Sam was kind of tempted to just flip them off and run away with Dakota and Averian behind him. It would be cool if he jumped out a window, or if there was one of those awesome explosions with flying glass and other shrapnel behind him while he wore dark sunglasses and casually stood, unflinching, while it looked awesome behind him.

Thinking about it, Jadie would kill him quicker if he exploded the entire art gallery. Then his mother would really yell at him and he would totally be dead. That didn't make sense. Maybe he died twice. That seemed like the kind of super-magical thing angry women could do.

They reached Dakota's section of the gallery and she began to excitedly talk to him really quickly about what each of the stretches was supposed to be. She was talking so fast, he could barely understand her. Not that he would be able to figure out the weird architectural terms she kept using. All Sam was able to do was nod and look at the pretty pictures in front of him without knowing what kind of buildings they were supposed to actually be.

"That one looks cool," remarked Sam, squinting to see one of the drawings in front of him a bit better. The building pictured had a large domed center, with brightly colored neon lights outside, visible from the small swatches of color that were labeled with arrows around the page for reference.

Dakota smirked. "It's not surprising that you'd think that. That one's a party hall I came up with because I was doodling buildings based off of each of you three, the princes. That political building with the library, that's Fitz's, and the other one is Luke's. This is my favorite, I love all the windows and plants and open air that I put into the design for it, they really make the building interesting," she responded.

Averian, who had been wandering around to look at random things, came over and looked at the building sketch with her odd blue eyes. She still towered over Sam, even bending down a bit to get a closer look at it and being at equal eye level with the sketched drawing.

Suddenly, a sound made Sam turn. They had been lucky that Dakota's section of the gallery had been empty, but it didn't sound like it would be like that for much longer. He nearly peed his pants when he saw Fitz, Jadie, his father, and his mother rounding the corner and immediately spotting him standing their. Queen Kriss narrowed her eyes like she was a bird of prey catching sight of a tasty mouse at lunchtime, scanning him for any possible flaw with her laser vision.

"Dakota. Averian. We're all going to run," whispered Sam, frozen in place, terrified that his mother was going to come over and beat him with her insanely tall high heel. The four deadly humans were growing closer and closer to them. His mother prepared to yell at him.

"Go!" he yelped. Sam, Dakota, and Averian immediately sprinted down the hallway like cheetahs, escaping their inevitable fate. It was hard to run on the slick floor, and if his mother caught him, they'd all be in for a top-quality lecture and yelling session about being polite and not running down art gallery hallways like a maniac and slowing down to a very fast walk whenever they spotted someone nearby that could bear witness to their crimes in front of Queen Kriss and Jadie.

Averian soon took the lead, probably leading them to their own gallery. That might not have been the smartest idea, since they would obviously be looked for their first, but Sam knew that he could always jump in another trash can if worse came to worst.

Suddenly, she made a sharp left turn and pushed open one of the building's many glass doors. It was a good thing the place only had two floors, unlike the America Singer center, which looked like it had at least seven. That wasn't even an exaggeration.

"Pandora!" said Averian, leading them through the doors and calling out to something that seemed to be above them. A blonde colored blur flipped down towards them and Pandora D'Aboville landed in front of them with a quiet thud. She smiled, straightened up, and waved at Sam.

Quickly fixing her hair, Pandora surveyed the group. "I heard that an angry pack of royalty was chasing you three. Want to go over to the other building and wait there so she can't kill you until after the performance ends? That gives you five more hours of life or something along those lines. Dakota, Averian, can you two climb?" asked Pandora, arching an eyebrow and lowering it when they nodded. "Also, this isn't like super-extreme or something. This is normal," remarked Sam.

Pandora pulled down the fire escape thing and led them up it. "How is this not extreme?" inquired Averian, frowning. Dakota, on the other hand, seemed to understand. "You've seen Queen Kriss yell at Sam. Plus, this is stuff those two probably do all the time," she explained.

Averian nodded, but still appeared mostly unconvinced. Pandora continued to lead them up to the roof, which wasn't that bad of a climb, then lead them across to where it was only a short gap between this rooftop and the second-floor balcony of the America Singer center. Sam looked at the gap skeptically. This probably wasn't going to end with anything remotely safe, judging from Pandora's secondary occupation as the illusive daredevil Icarus on social media.

"Okay. Here, we can just walk across," said Pandora, pulling a lever that Sam hadn't noticed and watching as a short bridge extended over the gap and to the other building. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized this wasn't quite as crazy of an escapade as hiding in a trash can had been.

Dakota frowned as Averian walked up onto the bridge without any hesitation."How did you know about this?" inquired Dakota, watching Averian cross before preparing to do the same herself. "I was up on the roof when I noticed the lever, and it just went from there. I haven't really used it much yet, " replied Pandora as Dakota quickly crossed the flat piece of sturdy metal that counted as a bridge.

Sam went next, pushing himself up to the ledge before stepping onto the metal. It gently bent under his feet. Thankfully, he was able to get to the other side without falling and turning into a Schreave pancake for his mother to kill again. Pandora lept up behind him and reached the other side before he'd dismounted.

Flipping a switch, Pandora watched the bridge retract back into the ledge on the other side, hidden once more. KNowing his mother, and Fitz, they'd probably sent one of the officers after him instead of worrying about it themselves. The officers would have a hard time figuring out where they had gone from the roof. That would have been fun to watch, but they couldn't stick around, they had to get to the main theater and let Sam take his seat.

They were already on a balcony and were easily able to open the glass doors that led inside. Of course, the girls would have to get back to the art gallery, but Sam could just go to the theater and try to pretend that his mother wasn't going to yell at him after the long show for another reckless adventure.

"I'll see all of you later, good luck with the show!" said Sam, grinning at the three girls as they moved to walk back out onto the balcony without him. A chorus of goodbyes came from the trio with smiles and waves. For some reason, Sam made sure they had all crossed back to the other side safely and had all disappeared back inside before he moved away from the doors. Maybe he did care about other people, after all.

"Alright, Sam, let's go be bored out of our minds for 15 minutes while we wait," he muttered, beginning to walk down the hallway that he recognized as being the one where the adventure of the second day of dress rehearsals had taken place. "Oh, drat. I'll have to wait 30 minutes because of the time cushion,' Sam groaned.

Thirty minutes was an awfully long time for him to wait by himself without causing any trouble or being frog-marched to his parents by two angry officers that had been sent after him. He could kill ten minutes at most walking down there, but staying in the hallways for too long was a terrible idea, and attempting to visit the dressing rooms would only get him lectured by Jadie once she came over to make sure all the girls were actually getting ready.

While he walked, Sam thought about the performance to slow himself down. Thinking was an activity that required enough energy to make him walk with less speed in hopes of conserving that energy for later pranks and fun, mischievous adventures around the palace over the next week before the Hawaii trip.

The choreography groups seemed like they'd be the most exciting part of the whole thing, given that they wouldn't come from some old fossil of a choreographer, and would just be more interesting to watch in general. Song choices were something he was a bit skeptical over. A few of the groups had chosen songs that he didn't think were recent at all, though that was kind of the whole point of the time period restriction on which ones they could use.

A skit was also in the show. That seemed like it would at least have some humor to it, maybe even a few puns if the girls were that good at picking up his absolutely wonderful and not at all bad sense of comedy.

His sources inside the girls had told him that it was a spin on fairy tales, something with dragons kidnapping a princess and then having a prince come to save her. It was supposed to have a cool twist, though, so Sam was definitely looking forwards to whatever that might end up being. It was a shame that the skit was in the later portion of the many-houred performance. He was going to have to wait through a lot to get to it.

Speaking of waiting, Sam kind of hoped he wouldn't fall asleep. His mom was already going kill him. He didn't need another good reason for her to do it, though, so staying awake was currently his only option unless he could try to sleep with his eyes open. Tha probably wasn't possible.

He noticed that he was almost at the first turn into the next hallway. Thankfully, he had taken an extremely slow amount of time in walking down the first hallway, and he could only hope he could keep up the slow pace through the rest of his journey to the theater. Maybe, if possible, he could even get there after the rest of his family had! HIs mom would scowl at him, of course, but she couldn't kill him yet because the performance would hopefully be starting soon.

Sam couldn't really remember a time that his mother would treat him like a normal son and not some annoying puppy that had wandered into the palace and pooped all over the fancy carpets. The first time he was sure she had treated him like that was when he was a toddler.

As a kid, he knew that he hadn't been quite as terrible as everyone thought he was, but walls were definitely draw on and unfortunate materials were smeared around on things that his parents would have preferred to keep clean. One of his first pranks hadn't really been a prank at all, just throwing a water balloon at Fitz when he was reciting poetry as a four year old to both the king and the queen in the garden.

His soaking wet brother had immediately spotted him and pointed h im out. Furious, their mother had gotten up and proceeded to yell at Sam for ten whole minutes before shaking her head and having a guard take him up to his room and making sure he stayed in their for the rest of the day and night.

Of course, that had only made Sam more determined to dislike his mother, and pranks became second nature to him as he got older. By the time his parents had given up on finding him an elementary school level teacher when he was eleven and had waited until he turned twelve to start middle school education for all three brothers. Still with a private tutor, they weren't lucky enough to get to go to public or even private school.

Eventually, Sam spent less and less time with his parents. That helped his mother not yell at him quite as much as she had when they were forced to do stupid family activities that Fitz would always do perfectly and Luke would always hopefully show them something and end up being ignored.

The yelling had really started up again when he'd turned 15. That was when the Samuel Schreave everyone in Illea knew about came into existence. He had already had a few of those aspects to is personality, but this was a whole new level, and Sam had loved being as wild as he could possibly be. The only downside was that he was labeled as someone who was a bit too wild by the media. He'd learned not to be offended after some time.

Sam wondered whether he would have been different if he hadn't been a prince. Being born in a different family, a different caste, a different life would have probably made him a completely changed person personality-wise due to the whole "Product of Your Enviroment" thing he'd heard people talk about.

Out of all three brothers, he might have been the one who cared least about politics. Fitz was Fitz, obviously, and had a philosophy that things would get better if they boosted the economy instead of directly giving things to the poor. Luke, on the other hand, was sympathetic to all castes in general and didn't make his views known as often as Fitz did. Sam himself thought that the best course of action was just giving the lower castes things they needed, and he felt for them a bit more.

Someone had once told Sam that his views matched those of the ancient Democratic Party of the U.S, but he'd actually done his research and didn't agree with that. Just because he had some aspects of what they stood for didn't mean he was about to go build a shrine to Hillary Clinton, or hate that weird president dude.

He was finally almost at the theater. Maybe fifteen minutes had passed, so he'd still have to wait in his seat for quite a while, waiting for the inevitable time where his mother came in and death glared him every ten minutes during the extremely long and not at all necessary performance. There weren't any guards at the doors yet, so it was easy to slip through them and find himself in the huge, but empty, theater.

"Okay, we're in the royal box, that would be.. Oh. Up there?" muttered Sam under his breath, looking around to realize that they'd be sitting in the royal box and the best place in the entire large theater thing. He quickly crossed a few rows of seats and passed through another door that lead to a staircase.

It must have been a utility staircase, because this was not the type of thing his family would usually find waiting for them. Sam climbed up it and found himself out of breath at the top because of his usual lack of attention towards exercise and boring stuff like that. The staircase still lead to the royal box, though, and he found the seat that had a fancy cream-colored paper name tag sitting on it to reserve it for him and him alone.

Sam removed it from the seat and happily sat down. The performance would be starting soon, and, with any luck, so would the long period of time where his mother was unable to scream at him for running away.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I've been terrible about getting chapters recently, but stay with me! I wanted to give everyone who hadn't turned in those extremely important questions a chance to do that, but it hasn't happened, and I wouldn't want everyone else to have to wait a year or something crazy like that because of a few people who aren't reading anymore and deserve to get their characters eliminated sooner rather than later.**

 **If you haven't gotten them in by now with my gentle messages here, I'm now starting the phase where I will hunt people down and make sure they turn those in. No excuses. If you didn't think you could do this, why submit in the first place? You can't just submit and completely abandon reading a story for that long of a time. Thanks again to the loyal readers who are actually amazing and deserve to be thanked.**

 **Next chapter is going to be the chapter to end all chapters! Well, not really, but I'm predicting that it will be over 7.000 words. It's Luke's POV, I hope everyone will enjoy my last-minute cramming of what could be three chapters into just one very long one!**

 **Remember to review so I don't have to hunt you down as well! Everyone who's been doing a good job of that is in no danger of getting a water balloon thrown at them by Prince Samuel Screave of Illea.**


	44. The Performance- Part Two and a Half

Prince Luke's POV

Lights that were soon to be dimmed shown upon the faces of the massive audience in the theater, illuminating individuals and their clothes with bright beams of glowing warmth. Noise trickled up to the ceiling in small waves, hushed chatter coming from those who impatiently waited for the performance to start. The curtains of the stage were still closed. The deep red velvet wouldn't stay that way for much longer, though, for it was almost time for the show to start.

The occupants of the Royal Box were quiet. An uncomfortable silence hovered like a cloud over Luke and the other four members of his family, the guards outside and inside the special viewing area standing out of the cloud even though they were mere feet away from his family.

Luke squirmed. He hated sitting in between his brothers, with his parents on the other side of Fitz, feeling like anyone who looked up at from from the main audience would just skim their piercing glances past Luke and onto either one of his brothers. If his parents both ignored his existence, so would everyone else. Luke also hated the feeling of being invisible, no matter how used to it he was, and this whole event was doing a great job of making him feel like a ghost.

To him, even the attention Sam had been getting from their mom would have been good. Being yelled at was much better than basically being ignored. Did they even notice that he was there? Just the action of yelling at Sam showed that their mom cared about him.

But Luke? No. It didn't seem like anyone cared about him. Fitz and Sam interacted with him sometimes, though not very often, and the most conversation he'd had with people that weren't palace servants or guards in the past few months had been with the selected who had only been there for a few weeks. Having them at the palace had helped remove some of the ever-present feeling of being invisible, but there was only so much that girls who might have liked his brothers best could do.

With all of the girls backstage in preparation for the oncoming performance, Luke was completely alone in the royal box, no one near him caring enough about him to give him any minutes of their day. Jadie, who sometimes seemed to notice him, had disappeared seconds after they'd arrived.

"Boys, I think the performance is going to start in the next few minutes," said Queen kriss, surveying the three of them with her usually frustrated brown eyes. Many people had said that their mother was a horrible person, but Luke had watched her when she didn't think anyone was looking. He knew that the stern Queen who dotted on her oldest son, ignored her middle son, and pretended to hate her youngest son was going through some things that made her life rather hard.

She had broken the uncomfortable cloud of silence into small pieces of a fragment of a second. They began to collect once she had finished speaking, turning into a tension that was heavier than ever before. Luke really did hope that it would start soon.

Sure enough, the lights began to dim and the theater slowly fell silent. Jadie must have been getting ready to make an announcement over the theater sound system to introduce the show. They'd done this in the full run-through dress rehearsal yesterday, but Luke had been preoccupied with doing other things, such as helping the girls backstage and turning Scarlet green. He wondered if the makeup application would go well tonight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first performance of the America Singer Center for the Arts! Tonight will be a collection of marvelous performances done by the girls of our current selection. They've worked long on hard on this, so please silence your cell phones and refrain from recording the show unlawfully,"

Jadie's voice came from the giant speakers on either side of the stage. The announcement was typical of any performance in any type of theater, whether one like this or a simple movie theater in the city. It was obvious that Jadie had the right voice for talking to large crowds of people through things that made her sound even louder than she did in person, which was pretty impressive. Luke winced at thinking of her deafening shouting in his direction.

"Please consult your programs for the names of the performers and the order the show will go in. We hope you enjoy the show!" said Jadie's voice, coming from the speakers once again. Luke quickly glanced down at his program to make sure he was correct about what order everything was going to be in.

The house lights were fully dimmed. The curtains slowly began to open, revealing a stage with four girls posed in the middle. It was still in complete darkness, a blackout, and would stay that way until the music began and the girls in the pose started to dance. He recognized Kira, Isa, Adelacia,and Mazie. Each was wearing their hair up in sleek high ponytails. Their outfits were jumpsuits of shorts with a long-sleeved top that and metallic embellishments along with attached jazz shorts.

Music played from the speakers, the opening chords of Seven Nation Army filling the air. Mazie suddenly began to move. She quickly flung an arm out from the direction all girls were in a diamond inside facing position in towards the opposite way, contracting her body like she was a puppet that had been dropped.

Isa did the same during the next eight count, expect she moved into a jazz pirouette and then landed in the same position as Mazie. It kind of looked like both girls were bending down to touch their toes and had been deactivated by a power switch. Kira and Adalacia did the same, each starting out in a different way and ending in the same way as the two other girls in the dance had.

As soon as the first four counts of eight had ended, they launched into a complicated routine that was definitely fitting of the advanced level. Arms and legs flew out and in like bolts of lightning. The girls moved like they were separate parts of one whole being, their bodies fluidly moving as one.

Powerful music accompanied the dancers and they were able to match their movements to it with precision and ease. To any audience member unfamiliar with dancing, it looked almost easy for the girls, but Luke knew that they were really working themselves to new levels during the song. These four were practically professionals at this. Well, some of them were, but they looked like actual profession jazz dancers, which they weren't.

Looking to his right and left, he saw that his family seemed impressed with the skill level of the girls. EVen Sam was intently watching them. Tiny details that Luke would have missed if he wasn't trained to see them were done perfectly by the girls and everyone at least knew something was going correctly.

It went by in a blur. The dance was over quickly in Luke's perspective. Seeing the whirlwind of complex motions that the girls had spent so much time on was really amazing, though he was sure only half the people in the audience understood what was actually happening on stage. Non-dancers tended to focus on the face instead of the feet or other movements, which was why dancers were able to get away with things during shows. Luke had learned that really well.

Luke and everyone else in the audience burst into applause at the end of the dance, Luke starting to worry about how much his hands were going to hurt at the end of the performance. That many hours of clapping were bound to be painful.

One dance down, another few million left. He wondered if any of the girls would mess up, or if something would go wrong backstage and a costume quick change wouldn't work out. It would be remarkably easy for the performance to end in catastrophe, but the dress rehearsals and hours of rehearsing during the two weeks previous to this were supposed to be enough time for them to learn how to do everything perfectly.

Next up was the Mediocre group, a name that Luke found to be a little insulting to the girls in it. Implying that they weren't the best, or the worst, was probably a mistake on the part of whoever came up with that.

When no one came on stage during the few seconds between the dances, the routine must have started with the girls running in or doing some kind of traveling step for their entrance, using up more time than just starting in a pose did but requiring the dancers to learn how to get to their assigned spots on the stage and match the music with their probably fast movements so they could get on stage.

He was right. Two girls nearly flew out of the wings as soon as the music started, running to their spots and spiralling down to the ground to hold a pose. That was probably so they audience would focus on the girls going onto the stage instead of the girls who were already there.

Elizabeth's face seemed to be having trouble keeping a smile on, and Luke began to think about all the terrible things that could go wrong. What if she was injured? Or hurt? Even from the royal box, his keen vision was able to tell that there were hints of panic and fear in her very blue eyes. The way they didn't seem to smile with her face, the way the edges were folded. Being barely able to see them didn't mean he couldn't read their emotions.

Nevertheless, the girls carried on and the dance soon was in full swing. It was really cool to see something that was performed well with large amounts of effort going to it from people who hadn't done this their entire lives. The fun, light tone of the dance also helped make it enjoyable to watch.

Luke glanced around at his family to see if any of them had seen Elizabeth's worry about whatever it was that was troubling her. No one, not even Fitz, looked like they'd noticed. They could have just been hiding their emotions, though, his family members seemed to be pretty good at that. He glanced in his mother's direction and suddenly realized that there was a bit of her face that appeared to be off in some way.

She'd been acting like that for awhile, even since before they had even announced the start of the selection, almost like she had been getting sick. But she had been perfectly healthy. That concern was unfounded, he shouldn't have had to worry about that at all. Especially during the performance.

Thinking about the performance, he remembered that he was supposed to be watching it and narrowed his focus back on the girls who were currently moving into a different formation on the stage. This dance had some good arm movements, using the shoulders for isolations and such, coordinating the heads in a less fierce way than the girls who had been in the advanced group earlier.

Red, gold, pink, and silver tutus turned into blurs of color when the girls did inward turns. Two colors were repeated, so there were only two girls that had their very own color and didn't share it with another person, given that the dance was made up of only six girls.

There was a surprising amount of turns and leaps in the dance. He thought that there would have been less, but maybe the instructor who had choreographed it and taught them the choreography just cared about getting the dance finished and didn't care about the quality or quantity of things in it, just having them do things like that to make more time in the general spang of the performance.

He could remember, back in the days of dancing that he still became embarrassed about whenever someone brought it up, that a few choreographers had employed strategies like that in ballet routines. Having a male dancer do tour jetes all around the stage was painful and kind of tiring for the dancer.

Alexis and Albany were the last pair to run back in after a section where all of the girls ran on and off in different ways. They jumped into a line with the other four, clapping their hands together and throwing their back legs up as they did so, all the others joining them and signalling the coming end of the dance. The music was fading, too, and the girls scrambled to get into their final poses before they song ended.

Applause came from Luke and the audience when it did end. He was already getting that weird feeling he did when he was in theaters of any kind, but Luke really hoped it would eventually just go away because of how much time they still had left while they watched the entirety of the performance.

Waiting four seconds for the lights to fully dim, the girls stayed still until they were sure that it was time for them to get themselves off the stage so the next routine could start. Two or three of them would probably go straight to the quick change rooms because they only had the span of one dance to change into their costumes for the Intermediate dance, a mix of selected from the advanced and mediocre jazz groups.

It was only a couple of short seconds before the beginning jazz group's song started. The song, entitled "The Walker" was by a band called Fitz and the Tantrums. He suspected that the song had been chosen just because it would get on Fitz's nerves, it seemed like something the choreographers might do.

Mae came out first, leading the girls on her side in a line that walked straight forwards. Another line, lead by Dakota, came from the other backstage wing right after she had appeared on stage. Whenever the music would hit a certain point, the girls would clap their hands and do a quick spin before moving forwards. They ended up in two evenly spaced lines, the girls in the back visible through spaces in the front, Mae in the front left and Dakota in the back right.

They twirled to the left, then to the right, pointing their feet in a tondue in the direction of whichever way they had just come from. Hands were put on hips in unison before they did a spring step on both sides.

It was pretty easy for Luke to tell it was a beginning jazz dance, but the girls were able to do it well enough that the audience would just focus on their smiling faces and not see any slight mistakes they happened to make.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I've been having some trouble with writing recently, and I'm generally terrible for procrastinating, but here's part of a chapter so I don't get attacked by all of you waving pitchforks and torches!**

 **The next chapter will still have over 7000 words anyways. Please review so I know that everyone's still reading, I am actually planning on doing an elimination before the Hawaii trip at this point.**

 _ **My goal is to have the entire story finished by July 24th, the birthday of the triplets.**_


	45. The Performance- Part Three

A whistling part in the song started up. They really were doing a lot of canon moves in the dance, starting with one girl and repeating it a few seconds after the girl before them so it traveled down the line of people with varying speeds, depending on what exactly it was that they were doing. Windmills and jazz pirouettes made up the majority of the motion during the canon sections of the dance.

When Luke had first started ballet, he'd ended up in a class filled with tiny toddlers in pink tutus and miniature pigtails that bounced when they tried to do the same things as the graceful ballerinas on their favorite TV shows. Being the only boy had been the first part of what he eventually realized was his biggest mistake. He kind of wished that he'd left ballet sooner, stopping the flood of insecurities that were already beginning to appear at a young age.

None of the girls on stage would ever have to deal with stuff like that. This was a temporary thing for them, just to show the nation what they had learned during the rehearsals and to demonstrate how the selection could be used as a force for doing good.

At last, the dance ended. Luke turned to look over at Sam, seeing the youngest triplet make a hilarious face in the direction of the stage as the dancers excited, and suddenly realized that he was making a big deal out of absolutely nothing. He just needed to focus on the performance. What if the girls asked him questions and he wasn't able to answer them because he'd been drifting off into his mind palace? That would be pretty terrible.

Luke noticed that the next dance was supposed to be the Intermediate Jazz dance. He was actually excited about seeing this one. With girls learning the moves after having a small amount of experience alongside girls that danced for a living, the dance had already been performed well enough to be perfect yesterday.

Fingers began to tap against his right arm rest when the music began, stopping only once Fitz shot a potent and condescending death glare in his general direction. Sam, on his other side, gave Luke an amused grin. That wasn't surprising. Sam seemed to love it when Fitz or their parents acted unhappy with someone other than the youngest triplet himself, and this was a classic example of one of those situations.

From dress rehearsals, Luke knew that it would start with the girls leaping onto the stage from the wings for their entrances and beginning the main section of the dance when the first verse started. Although they hadn't thought the simple arm movements shown to them at first were hard, they were proven wrong in time.

It went fast enough to make following the girls hard. That was one of the best parts of the dance, the well-executed and rapidly done positions combined into something that was pretty amazing. He'd tried to do it, secretly, from the safe space of his room during the early hours of the morning, but had given up when he'd kind of twisted himself and fallen over into his basically useless laundry basket. He never used it, anyways, so it didn't matter that it broke under his weight.

Kira performed a leap across the stage and the girls all ran into a line facing the back, lunging back a second later before turning around and jumping up. Half ran to the left side, and the other half ran to the right side, forming columns for the next part of the dance.

Ending in a mostly exciting part where the girls darted off the stage, the music faded away into nothingness. Had it really gone by that quickly? Probably not. Luke felt like he'd just been thinking a little too much to pay attention to the entirety of the three minute dance. Once, his parents had thought about testing him for attention deficit disorder and anxiety, but true to form, they'd forgotten all about it.

A quick check of his program told him that the tap routine would be next on the stage. Luke had to squint to make out the words on the paper, though his eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the theater between things happening up on the black flatness of the stage.

"Hey, Luke," whispered a voice from his right side, already recognizable as Sam because of the pretty obvious fact that his brother had been sitting there the entire time. At least Fitz didn't seem to have noticed them. He could have just been ignoring them out of contempt for the both of them, but he might have actually missed Sam's surprisingly quiet whisper.

The youngest triplet leaned over to whisper to Luke again. "I think I heard something out in the hallway. Want to come see what it was?" asked Sam, grinning while hiding his face from the three older members of the family.

"What? Why?" he inquired, but already knew that he was going to go just to make sure Sam didn't get himself in too much trouble. He did have to go to the bathroom, too, and this would be a good excuse. Sam didn't even wait for Luke to confirm that he was going on their little adventure before moving to get up from his seat. Luke did the same, catching Fitz's eye as he did so and quickly making a hand gesture that meant he really had to pee.

Fitz nodded. Luke did feel a little guilty about missing the tap part of the show, but he'd seen part of it in rehearsal, and that would be enough for the girls to think he'd seen it. Still, he never liked to lie to people who'd actually acknowledged his existence. He'd just have to get over that when he got there.

The brothers walked out into the hallway together, Sam taking the lead. Sam waved his hand towards the end of the hallway and looked pointedly at Luke. Thankfully, the bathrooms were in that direction, but Luke began to wonder how his brother had heard anything out here from inside the royal box. The chances of Sam having above-average hearing were quite slim with Queen Kriss shouting at him so often.

Luke hurried to catch up with Sam and tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going to take a quick bathroom break, okay?" he said, already moving towards the glowing sign that showed him where the men's toilets were located. Sam shrugged and continued down the hallway.

Once inside the bathroom, Luke quickly did his business with as much stealth and the least amount of noise possible. He could hear faint noises and footsteps from outside of the room. It seemed like he was alone in the bathroom, though, and everyone else was probably watching the show. Making sure to wash his hands thoroughly, Luke frowned at his reflection in the mirror before drying his hands and leaving the bathroom to find Sam.

His hands left tiny droplets of water in a trail behind him as he walked out. Knowing that he needed to work on drying his hands and not just immediately running to do whatever he had to do next, Luke just sighed and continued on his merry way in search of his illusive brother.

Of course, he ended up being knocked to the ground when Sam came running back from down the hallway with a shocked look plastered across his face. The white marble floor came rushing up to meet his face and connected with his nose, accompanied by a sickening thud and a throbbing pain. He heard Sam slowing down and coming back towards him, then attempted to turn his head to see his brother, wincing in pain and Sam bent down to see how much damage his frenzied run had ended up doing.

Luke gently pushed himself up into a sitting position and felt his nose. A trickle of blood soon coated his hand, causing his brother to walk over to a wall and bang his head into it before returning to Luke's side. Sam appeared to be absolutely miserable in that moment.

"Dude, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Crap. Your nose is bleeding!" said Sam. Luke nodded and the blood began to flow with more intensity. It didn't really bother him, actually, blood never seemed to do that after an unfortunate incident a few years ago, but Sam looked at him like his face had just been ripped off. "It's fine, seriously, let's just get back to watching the show. I can just grab a paper towel and wipe off all the blood so no one looks at me weirdly when we go back," he replied.

Nodding, Sam darted into the bathroom and returned shortly after with a few paper towels clenched tightly in one of his hands. Luke gratefully took them. He wiped down his nose, making sure that the flow of blood had decreased enough to not leak out of it, then moved to stand up. The bloody paper towels were balled up and thrown into a nearby trash can.

With Sam in the lead again, the brothers made it back to the royal box in time to see the girls of the ballet group routine preparing to start their dance. They were joined by Sasha Aleksandranzi, a ballerina who danced with the Angeles Ballet Theatre and had graciously agreed to participate in this routine so the girls could do the cygnets from the ballet Swan Lake. She was quite famous in the Angeles ballet community. In fact, their mother had once brought them to one of her performances a couple of years ago.

Luke's rear sank back into the comfortable chair and found it still warm. They hadn't been gone that long, apparently. "Sam. What did you see down the hallway?" asked Luke. He'd completely forgotten to ask his brother about it in the hurry to get back to the box.

"I'll tell you later," whispered back Sam, shaking his head and craning his neck to see if any of their family members were glaring at them yet. A strange curiosity rose up inside of Illea's middle prince. It had to have been something serious to cause Sam to run back into the hallway like that, something shocking and definitely unexpected, out of the ordinary in all ways. His brother was rarely ever surprised about anything.

Brown eyes were soon turned back to the wide expanse of the stage, tracking the movements of the four girls meant to imitate the movements of graceful young swans. Pointe shoes bent and flexed as their heads arched in perfect unison. The pale arms of the dancers locked together, dusted lightly with easily removable powder to make them even whiter than they already were.

It was pretty obvious that the audience was enjoying this particular dance. They seemed to revel in the far-reaching aura of the perfectly coordinated ballerina's, flowers enraptured and caught in the gaze of the lovely sun that gazed down upon them with contempt and a fair amount of distance from anything mortal. Luke had many more ways of describing this, all of them making him feel like he should run away and become some sort of poet. He'd never do that, though, his parents would actually worry about him if he was gone that long.

Honestly, the dance was a little too long, once Luke had shaken the annoying and kind of stupidly poetic thoughts out of his already full mind. Perfection was never fun to watch when you knew that it was something you'd previously failed to reach. Especially with ballet, in Luke's case.

He'd never actually danced in a production of Swan Lake before. Now, he was sure that he'd been lucky when he escaped it. A usual _Pas de deux_ took an eternity, everyone clapping and acting all amazed when they did some really difficult lift or spin in slow motion, and Swan Lake was bound to have at least one. The ones that he'd watched in other ballets had taught him one useful thing, however. Luke was an expert in telling when a ballet dance was almost over. He could even here this one winding down as he thought about it.

Four girls rushed to the front of the stage, performed elegant curtsies, then rushed off the stage to make room for the next group. Isa's tutu bounced gently as she followed her three companions off the stage. She was pretty and completely at ease in her outfit, causing a slight blush to rise in Luke's cheeks. Realizing what was next made it disappear instantly.

Katelin had been mostly out of his mind for the performances so far. This routine was almost made for her, lightning fast and violent with plenty of acrobatics that hurt your eyes to watch. She'd always had trouble deciding between being a gymnast or a wrestler, and he was certain that the second career path would eventually take the place of the first. She was getting too tall to be a gymnast anyways. The only problem with her going into the arena was that she'd be able to beat him up with more speed than before.

She wasn't visible on the stage yet, the blackout casting a curtain of inky darkness over the whole area. Staying away from that particular rehearsal gave Luke the disadvantage of having no earthly idea about what happened in this part of the performance.

When the blackout faded away, it revealed Mazie hanging onto one of her aerial silks, striking a fierce pose up in the air. Dramatic makeup swirled all over her face and turned her into a fearsome creature of the night. Her silks were a gleaming silver under the lights, starting to twist and turn as she used her strength and skills at the very second the music started. It wasn't long before Katelin, Aurelia, Maisynn, and Pandora were backflipping onto the stage as well. All five wore the same intimidating makeup on their unsmiling faces.

Mazie performed stunts from above as the girls on the ground did flips and tumbled across the stage. Even Pandora, who basically had no acrobatic background except apparently climbing tall things for her social media account, moved like a born gymnast. Sam had told him a few things about her, actually. Like how she'd been the only girl that he had feelings for, years later.

Focusing on Pandora and the others made it easier to not think about Katelin, whose presence made the irrational fear and worry inside of Luke bubble like a cauldron in the potions classroom of Severus Snape himself. Or maybe like the reaction between Potassium and water. It didn't just bubble, it kind of exploded into a gazillion little pieces of anxiety that pierced the inside of his stomach like shrapnel from a bomb set off at very, very close quarters.

She might hurt someone. She might hurt him. She could work with the rebels, giving them secrets from inside the palace and causing the deaths of hundreds. She could blow up the palace. She could shoot his parents in the back of the head with a handgun. She could doom the whole country if she really wanted to. Worst of all, she could kill whoever he ended up falling in love with.

Many of those worries were unfounded, but all lead to insane scenarios that had a possibility of becoming real one day. He hated to watch her twist and turn as he thought about her angrily storming out of the palace, only to return days later with the entire forces of the rebels who beheaded people and wrote messages in their blood, all of them under her command and ready to burn the palace to ashes. Irrational fear made Luke miss most of the dance. Rational fear made him wonder how Katelin could even start to be violent enough to inspire all of this worry.

Their quick exit from the stage didn't make his heart stop pounding. Kira, emerging onstage in her pointe shoes and a pink tutu, just made him want to gather up the rest of the selected and put them somewhere safe. Her shining eyes and slight smile made him want to protect anyone who seemed to have as much innocence and cause to live as she did.

"Luke, are you feeling alright? You seem like you'll keel over at any second," said an almost inaudible voice from his right. Fitz was staring at him with a concerned look on his regal features. Luke shrugged, able to calm himself down just because someone was spending too much time worrying about him and wanting to become invisible again. Fitz didn't seem to believe him, but turned his full attention back to Kira's dance. Sam caught Luke's eye, though he didn't say anything, and soon was watching Kira again.

A few of the visible kids in the audience looked sad when she whisked herself off the stage. They must have been disappointed that the magical fairy princess was gone, making Luke want to smile. Happy ballet was always a good act to watch when you had younger children with you.

Adalacia was next, though her solo felt much shorter and less magical than Kira's. She was doing a contemporary ballet piece. Those were usually sad and filled with emotion, the best ones stirring the souls and the hearts of anyone watching, though he wasn't sure about this one achieving that level of greatness. She was still a ballerina, however, and made it through the entire thing with remarkable amounts of elegance and grace in her fluid movements around the stage that Luke looked down upon.

In order for Adalacia to be able to get to the orchestra in time, she had to go at least second in the order of ballet solos, but a problem had come up. Mazie was supposed to be doing her irish dancing solo right before the Orchestra went on. However, she was actually in the orchestra, and Jadie's determination to have the dancing be in the same segment moved her up a spot.

The flaming red hair of the girl with the spirit of a fireball was concealed underneath a curly wig in a similar, but slightly off, shade when she appeared for her solo. Mazie smiled brightly at the audience as she skipped onto the stage to the beat of the obviously Irish music playing from the speakers. If anyone thought irish dance was simple, they would soon be proven wrong when she really began to get into the faster and more complicated portions of the dance.

Smile plastered on her face, though probably an actual representation of how much she enjoyed doing this, Mazie skipped and jumped to the exact counts of the rapidly flowing music. It was almost impossible to look away from her and the fiery curls of hair that spun around into the hair like a whirlwind.

This was an even better spot for Mazie than after Isa. If she'd danced after all of the three ballet solos had been performed in a row without anything that really counted as a decently timed break from the overloading power of pointe shoes and the feeling of being inferior to the graceful humans on stage,, everyone wouldn't have been excited to see anyone dance and would have just wanted to get on with the show, but now they were just happy to take a break from all of that tedious ballet. Since time always flies when you're having fun, her solo went by very quickly.

The audience clapped enthusiastically when she bent over in a fast bow, continuing to do so even after she'd disappeared from their sight range. He could see the color of her wig in a bright blur in the wings, rushing off to get changed into the extremely different orchestra uniform. She'd probably grab her instrument while she was back there.

Isa, doing the dance of the sugar plum fairy for her solo, was next in the order of things. She would be doing the very last ballet piece of the entire show. At least, Luke thought she'd been doing it. He didn't think any of the choreography groups would actually have six or seven of their members agree to do a ballet routine in tutus and tiaras and pointe shoes that required years of training to even wear without a very angry dance teacher swooping down upon you like an avenging demon.

Children in the audience seemed delighted to see Isa's routine. She already had a kind of motherly disposition, and she smiled down upon them like a fairy godmother. Isa had a quality to her movements that made it look like she really was a magical creature coming to perform for them. It almost appeared like she tried to make eye contact with each and every one of them.

Despite the excitement over the last two routines, everyone still seemed to be relieved when Isa darted off the stage and unconsciously let them know that it was time for all of the ballet to be over for the day. The program showed Luke that Elia, Cosette, and Sterling would be doing solos of their very own with their stringed instruments next. One harp and two violins. If they added in a viola, a cello, and a bass, they'd have a representative of all of the main stringed instruments with them on stage. Did a piano count or not? He wasn't really sure.

Sterling ended up being the first one out. He checked the program to see what song she was playing, but apparently it wasn't listed. Maybe she was improvising or something. She could have just been undecided when the program was printed, though Luke doubted that Jadie would ever let something like that happen under her authority.

Sitting down, she drew her bow and began to play a solemn and almost morbid melody on her instrument. It was easy to see why she had show up to rehearsal in something gray so often during the past few weeks. Sterling wasn't as happy as Aurelia, or as spirited as Mazie, but she still radiated an aura of emotion like they did. He could see why Fitz had been drawn to her before. Most of her personality was hidden in her music, and could be figured out if one listened to it closely.

It seemed like mere seconds before she was standing up to leave the stage, long black skirt sweeping against the floor as she walked off. Her eyes searched through the audience from the wings before she turned and disappeared from Luke's line of sight completely.

He checked the program once more and found that Elia would be going next, playing her solo on the beautiful harp that he'd only seen once during rehearsals. Luke felt like he hadn't stayed around long enough to really see the majority of the orchestra, band, and chorus rehearsals, but at least he was getting to see everything now. He had seen it during the three days of dress rehearsals, too, if that even made any progress in his quest to see most of the girls doing things over the long, two and a half weeks they'd rehearsed for this.

Elia's song was titled something like "Appalachian Spring Mountains,", or maybe some version of that. It was getting harder and harder to see his program because he kept forgetting to check them until the blackouts. He probably didn't need to explain why that would be difficult, though.

A blue headband crowned her head in addition to the standard uniform she wore like all of the Orchestra girls had to do during this part of the performance. Seeing her attempt to keep her individuality, though it almost definitely wasn't purposely done for that, was nice. The song she performed on her harp was also quite beautiful. When someone knew how to play an instrument that well, they were able to make it sound even prettier than it naturally did when even a complete beginner tried to play it.

Luke was honestly surprised when they brought a piano out onto the stage next. The two men that snuck on stage in the extremely short blackout managed to set it down with a barely audible thud, a real miracle when he considered how heavy that thing would actually be. He doubted that he'd even be able to get it off the ground, much less carry it onto a stage so quickly.

The best conclusion that he was able to come to was that Cosette was playing the piano, the other instrument she was spectacularly good at, instead of the violin. She still walked out onto the stage in the orchestra uniform. That kind of made sense, given that Luke had been debating whether a piano really counted as a true and honest strings instrument belonging in an actual professional just-strings orchestra for some time now. At least for the last two pieces, it seemed.

Cosette smiled sweetly when she walked out onto the stage and sat down at the piano bench. She smoothed out her long black skirt, then set her fingers on the black and white polished keys of the instrument in front of her so she could begin playing the song she'd chosen to do for her solo at this moment in the performance.

He was surprised that he recognized the melody she began to play. It was a haunting, beautiful version of the song "Once Upon a December" from the movie Anastasia. Luke had watched that movie when he was a kid and then spent way too many nights thinking that Rasputin was going to crawl out of his closet with his head detached and try to eat him while he was sleeping. This beauty of this song made up for the nightmares, though he blamed Sam for convincing him to watch the movie when the triplets were only five and a half years old.

Cosette finished her piece with a quick curtsy before rushing off the stage so the backstage crew could remove the piano in enough time to get the chairs for the orchestra out onto the stage before the girls actually started to go out. Needless to say, this blackout was a bit longer than the last few periods of pitch black darkness had been.

When the orchestra girls paraded on, Cosette accompanying them, they all took their seats from memory and prepared to play their first song. The backstage crew had also set up music stands for them, complete with the sheet music in what seemed to be in the right order of the songs that they would be playing. He wouldn't have been surprised if Jadie had yelled at them multiple times to make sure they did everything perfectly and went above and beyond as well.

As they started the first song, an arrangement of a few Beethoven pieces combined into one, Luke took a closer look at the orchestra uniform that the soloists and the girls that didn't end up with solos were all wearing as they played.

The dress that he had thought to be black at his first few glances was navy blue when he squinted to get a better look at it. It had long sleeves, and a plain skirt that went all the way to the floor, devoid of all decoration to keep the attention on the music instead of on the girls themselves. Long sleeves seemed to be a little too warm for August, even if everyone kept saying that Angeles had decent temperatures because they were from a province where the usual temperature was enough to burn his skin from his bones.

Almost all of the orchestra girls wore their hair in an elegant chignon that was positioned right above where there hair met their neck in the back of their head. Aside from Elia's headband, and the necklace that he was positive Cosette had hidden somewhere on her person, Luke didn't think that any of the other girls had accessorized in any way.

The Orchestra ended up playing three songs while they were on stage. The first was the Beethoven arrangement, classical and keeping to a traditional style of playing. The second was a cover of a popular pop song sung by Cathy Tanners, a teenage singer from Carolina who had appeared on various talk shows after the release of her latest album. The third song, which was surprising to Luke, ended up being the theme and opening song of the Star Wars movies from somewhere during the 1970s.

When they were finished with the three songs, they all stood up and bowed before exiting the stage. Another blackout consumed the area and he could see the faint outlines of the backstage crew working to remove the extra chairs and music stands from the stage, along with replacing the orchestra sheet music with the pages the band would be using.

He was a bit sad when the four person band came out on stage. Luke had watched them play before, he just thought it was unfortunate that they'd ended up with only four people playing it it. His sadness was slightly an effort to not focus on the fact that Katelin was playing Percussion for them. It was a shame, though, that he couldn't watch her have to attempt to emulate an octopus and try to play multiple instruments at once without feeling worried and way too anxious for his liking.

They only played one and a half songs because of their small size. They were both upbeat and interesting, which was definitely a characteristic of most bands he'd heard in his life. The orchestra might have gotten to play pop songs and Star Wars, but the band always got to be interesting and almost never caused the audience to be bored out of their minds from listening for too long.

Next up was the chorus, minus Scarlet because of her musical theater solo and the accompanying green makeup that would be impossible to put on in the span of one three-minute long segment of the performance. He thought that she'd be singing from backstage, but he wasn't sure if that had been confirmed at the dress rehearsal or if the plans had changed in the time span of the day or two that had elapsed since he'd had to turn her into the wicked witch of the west and the most fearsome being in all of Oz.

Unlike the other two groups, the Chorus got to stand on three rows of risers that had been conveniently wheeled onto the stage by the backstage crew after they'd removed the chairs, music stands, sheet music, and various percussion instruments from the stage.

It wasn't long before the seven girls started to sing. "Very superstitious, writing's on the wall. Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall," their voices washed over the entire theater with the sounds of Stevie Wonder's Superstition, a song from 1972 and one that had been decently popular for a time. Given that it was still in existence during the days of Illea, Luke could confirm that it had truly stood through the test of the long period of time that it had made it through to get to this day.

They were only able to sing about half of it, or maybe they just were able to make it shorter when they didn't have any background music accompanying their voices. He could remember getting to vote on what songs they would get to do. Luke had personally voted for a song by the Eagles, but it hadn't gone through.

Aretha Franklin's Respect was the second song they sang. He thought it was a bit weird to have two songs sung by girls that didn't have the voice type or cultural background of the original singers, but he supposed that it was a common occurrence in the modern world. The girls were still able to sing it and make it sound good. Looking at the girls, he noticed that Adalacia had a surly look on her face. That was probably because their instructor had told her to sing quieter after her very french voice had been extremely audible in rehearsals.

Thankfully, the next song, and the one that was bound to be the most popular out of all three, let her sing as loud as she wanted to. Having a song included that was from a Disney movie set in provincial France would definitely do that for her.

"Little town, it's a quiet village. Every day, like the one before. Little town, full of little people. Waking up to say..." started Cila, the spotlight on her for the time it took her to sing the opening lines of the song. "Bonjour!" repeated Kira, Adalacia, Illonie, Albany, Jillian, and Averian. Scarlet's voice could faintly be heard from the direction of the backstage wing that Luke couldn't see from his position in the royal box, which let him only see the backstage part of the opposite wing.

It was an interesting song, as the girls all took turns singing the part of Belle and would sing various other parts of villagers in the song during the rest of the time. They ended up cutting out the Gaston and LeFou song in rehearsals because all of the girls were very stubborn about not singing those parts.

The chorus girls had to rush off stage quickly so Cila could get in her Angelica Schuyler costume for her upcoming solo. Scarlet would be coming out on stage during the blackout, and he saw her moving out onto the stage soon enough. The green of the paint and the black of her outfit made her almost invisible in the blackout as she made sure that she'd be in the correct position for the entire song. Another figure came out with her, probably Aurelia after she'd been conned into playing Glinda by Cila.

During the musical theater solos, many of the girls who didn't have things to do until the choreography groups would be making appearances as the background characters that also had to sing or do something important in the song. Most of them hadn't been happy about it, but had been forced to smile and do a good job by the intimidating demeanor of Jadie Flores.

Scarlet and Aurelia began to sing the opening part of the song, Aurelia having to sing almost as much as Scarlet and having to not have a disgruntled look on her face while she did it. He'd heard that she was upset that she didn't get to at least wear Glinda's puffy ball gown during this scene, as she was supposedly looking forwards to it. Though, honestly, the idea of having the extremely happy Aurelia running all over the place in a huge and very sparkly gown was a bit terrifying to Luke at that very moment in time.

They quickly went though the song. It might have just seemed quick to Luke, though. He even noticed Cila and a few other people congregating at the backstage wing that was in his line of sight. With a start, Luke realized that he was supposed to have been down there five minutes ago. He'd forgotten about his surprise part in the excitement of the show!

Luke stood up and edged his way out of the row, causing Fitz and Sam to each realize that he was going to be late. Sam facepalmed and shook his head, while Fitz just gestured for Luke to run down there as fast as he possibly could. Luke did exactly that, carefully getting out of the royal box without his parents even noticing and sprinting down the corridor in what he hoped would be the quickest way to get him the costume room in time to get in it before the next part started.

He turned down a hallway and nearly ran into Katelin and Willow, who were both sneaking around like they were doing something suspicious. Surprisingly, they both jumped, but Katelin just motioned for him to carry on and pointed in the direction they'd been coming from. He ran by so fast he didn't notice Willow's messed up lipstick or Katelin's strangely tangled hair.

At last, he reached the room where he had been supposed to be to put on his Hamilton costume about ten minutes ago and ducked inside the door. Jadie wasn't inside, which was a relief, but Elizabeth was scowling and looking like she wanted to beat him with something. "You were supposed to be here awhile ago! I'm supposed to do your makeup, and I can't do that if you have to go on stage in three minutes!" she said, then comically sneezed blood into a tissue. They both had to keep themselves from laughing as Luke dashed behind the curtained part of the room.

Dressing quickly, he put on the coat and everything else that Alexander Hamilton wore in this part of the musical. The wig was a bit harder to put on and felt odd on his head, but it was necessary because no one wanted to put hair extensions in his hair in this amount of time.

"Here!" yelped Elizabeth, attacking him with her palette of stage makeup as soon as he'd stepped out from behind the curtain. It wasn't very long before his face was able to be seem from a mile away and he was ready to sprint backstage to get ready for the part of the show that he had to be in. This had been something kept secret for quite awhile, but it never seemed to be something that he'd think about very often.

Thanking Elizabeth, he made his way out of the room and ran backstage like he'd just sat on a full-grown porcupine. Scarlet was just singing the last note of the song when he made it next to Cila and everyone else getting ready for the next song backstage. Next to Cila, a few others who were dressed for the next song stood waiting.

Cila looked at him with a little grumpiness, but she chose to not chastise him for this yet because they would be going on very soon. Scarlet was already being taken down from her flying perch by the backstage crew and they were having to get into position for the next dance. Luke walked out onto the stage and sat down in the chair he had to sit in before they did the rewinding part of the song and he actually had to talk and sing and perform and do stuff like that in front of a very large crowd of people who would be judging him without restraint.

Starting the song, Cila channeled the emotions of Angelica Schuyler as soon as Albany had started them off with the opening remarks by John Laurens, another character in the musical that she'd been able to stand in for because she'd had time to change into the outfit.

His time on stage passed in a quick blur, getting ready to go stand up and start his part after what only seemed to be the blink of an eye. Luke stood up and tried to act like Hamilton, comfortably pretending to be someone he wasn't and hoping that the members of the audience wouldn't realize it was him. Maybe he'd getting lucky and they'd just think it was some male guard or something that had been tapped into doing the performance because they needed someone else, but he doubted that would actually end up happening.

Scarlet dashed on the stage as Eliza only a few seconds after he'd finished exchanging the partially spoken lines with Cila, darting in a spot where no one would notice her until she had to step forwards for her singing part a few moments later.

After singing the word helpless a few times, Scarlet stepped back and Cila and him had to talk again. She sang for a few moments, then Luke had to do another piece of spoken dialog. He hoped that no one realized that his hands were still sweating. Eventually, he and Scarlet stepped back and had to pretend to be talking as Cila continued with her lines of singing and rapping. A few of the chorus girls had dressed up as ensemble members from the musical and provided those parts in accompaniment to Cila.

It wasn't long before they finished the three points and had to move on to the next part of the song. Thankfully, Luke was able to continue with the parts he had to do and felt himself warming up a little as he sang part of the falling action of the song. If that even applied to songs like it did to stories, that is.

As soon as it was over, Luke left the stage and saw Sam dressed up as Aaron Burr, ready to go onstage and start the Schuyler sisters. The two brothers shared a quick grin before Luke found himself backstage again, not going to be in the next piece but deciding to change back into his fancy outfit just so he could watch from backstage and away from his parents. It also helped that the audience wouldn't be glancing up at them like they had when he'd been in the royal box, too.

Watching the next song begin, Luke smiled to himself. This really had been a successful performance, hadn't it? He could tell that the audience had enjoyed their song by all of the clapping that had come after it. For once, Luke felt like he'd done something worth mentioning to the world. He finally hadn't been invisible, if only for just a few minutes of a performance.

* * *

 **I finally finished this! I'll release another chapter with a longer note tomorrow, but I had to go somewhere now and I have to make this short. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please, please leave a review if you liked it and if you're actually still reading the story!**


	46. The First Elimination

Prince Fitz's POV

It had been three full days since the first trial of the Selected had been completed. The America Singer Center Performance had gone beautifully, FItz could certainly say that they had managed to pull it off with substantial amounts of skill and elegance, along with making it through the entirety of that infinite-seeming afternoon inside and outside of the building.

Over the course of those three days, anxiety had slowly shrouded the palace like a blanket of the thickest morning fog. All of the girls had been informed that a few of them would be leaving the palace after the performance had been completed and all of them had been acting with the worry of a mother who had lost their child in a spacious department store. Obviously, Fitz and his brothers were the ones who would have to make that terrible decision, causing the girls to avoid the three of them whenever possible.

"I don't want to do this," complained Sam, sounding short and to the point while he dangled upside down off of one of the rolling office chairs. He was too tall, even as the shortest of the triplets, to actual succeed in dangling. His head and next, along with a part of his upper back, were touching the ground as he tried to fold up his legs in a failure to shorten himself.

He was clearly talking about the elimination process. It was the whole reason they were sitting in the small conference room they were gathered in now, where they had been sitting in with large degrees of comforting silence encircling the room until Sam decided to whine about their task. Jadie's idea had been to let them choose the multiple girls who had to go home after voting, like this was a democracy, although Fitz was starting to doubt the ability of his brothers to actually go through with it.

Luke looked up from the notebook he had been writing in, no longer hunched over the table like an old crone. A glimmer of some hidden stubbornness was visible in his quickly moving brown eyes. If he thought that he could get out of this with none of the girls leaving, he was going to be very sorely disappointed in around twenty minutes.

Fitz himself had been patiently waiting in his own chair and gazing serenely out the room's only window while his brothers had silently protested against their current activity. He had been watching the breeze rustle the leaves of the trees on this side of the palace, unable to see the garden from anywhere in this entire wing of the place, noticing a lone butterfly flying in what he knew to be the direction of the closest bush of bright colored flowers as he waited for someone else to follow Sam's complaint with a sentence that was hopefully more productive.

Flapping its delicately speckled wings, the dainty creature fluttered towards the bush with the grace and elegance of a creature used to having its proper niche in the local environment, one that never changed or wavered, despite any circumstances that might suddenly appear in it's simple timeline.

Someone in the room cleared their throat. FItz turned in his chair to see Jadie standing in the doorway, frowning down at Sam and Luke with obvious exasperation etched across her stern and determined face. "Princes! I left you in here ten minutes ago, you've just been sitting here like vegetables!" she snapped, marching inside with the door still open behind her. Noticing Sam's juvenile position , Jadie shot a potent death glare in his direction. "Prince Sam, sit up in the correct direction!" admonished the curly-haired planner.

Sam, grumbling under his breath, flipped himself upwards and spun himself around once before settling in an unmoving stance. Jadie nodded at him and her scowl relaxed into a less murderous expression of annoyance towards them. She seemed to be slightly pleased that Sam had listened to her for once.

"Now, boys, I trust that you'll wrap this up and give me names by the end of the hour. I won't make you eliminate any girls during our upcoming trip if you finish this correctly," said Jadie, glancing down at her clipboard before looking at each of them in turn. Fitz, of course, immediately chose to nod as a sign that he was willing to do what needed to be done to actually go through with this entire selection process without any vexing bumps or twists in the long road of finding them their true loves.

Both of his brothers grudgingly nodded at her, probably just in hopes that she would let them do it by themselves and not situate herself into one of the chairs around the mahogany conference table that sat as the crowning item of furniture in the small conference room space. Personally, he doubted that her love of her schedule would let her do that even if it was necessary.

Jadie looked at them once before turning and striding out of the room with her clipboard in it's usual position under her arm. She shut the door behind her with a gentle thud that made Sam and Luke turn to face Fitz at the same time, for reasons unknown to him. Studying what made the minds of his unusual brothers would be a fascinating project for another time and another place, maybe one that they would be in after all of this selection work was finally finished and done, without any hint of having to continue with it for any longer.

Luke was the first one to speak. "Um, so, how do we do this?" he inquired, searching the faces of the others in hopes of finding some visible answer. Sam shrugged, causing them to both turn back to stare at him like they'd been doing mere seconds before.

"It's simple. We each list the names of a few girls we feel that none of us have any connection at all with, then narrow them down to the ones that we agree on being completely unsuited for any of the three of us, or just haven't done anything to make themselves worthy of continuing on in the process. If at least one of us really desires to keep them here, we'll take them off the list of possibilities immediately," explained FItz. It seemed to partially fly over their heads, but Luke seemed like he understood it enough to be useful.

Although Sam still appeared to be unsure, he nodded his consent. "Sure. Yeah. Should we, like, write the names down or something?" he asked. Luke quickly tore three sheets out of his pad of paper and handed one to each of them. It seemed like Luke always was able to find these little notebooks, procuring a new one every time they had to meet in a conference room.

That answered Sam's question, and the three boys each procured writing instruments from various sources in order to write down the names of the girls that they deemed candidates for leaving the selection, all three hesitating to think before they wrote anything down. Fitz carefully considered the girls who had stood out to him so far. There was a rather large amount that he knew to be sticking around for quite some time, including those that his brothers seemed to like more than others.

He began to jot down names on his lone piece of slightly crumpled notebook paper. They were girls who hadn't been particularly special or interesting in any way, girls that just seemed to be useless little puddles of borish vanity. There was a distinct chance that they would also be listed on the papers of his brothers as well.

After all of the easier choices had been scrawled onto his canvas in his perfectly neat handwriting, Fitz deemed it time to consider who they would eliminate that hadn't been anything he would think any of them would want in their true love. It was quite hard to have to consider what type of girls his brothers liked, given that they wouldn't want to eliminate anyone who had enough of the certain characteristics that they found favorable, such as his own belief that the girl he married had to be intelligent enough to carry a conversation with him and not be uninformed.

Chiara Garcia, the quiet girl from Angeles, was the first of the more difficult names that he put on his list. He'd never found her to be matched well with any of the three of them. It would be a waste of space to keep her around when it was obvious that she wouldn't make it very far in the competition.

In addition to Chiara, Fitz also wrote down the names of Poppy O'Hare, Willow Reinhart, Jillian Oxford, Renalie Stark, and Evangeline Montgomery. That would probably be enough to have at least one or two of them included that his brothers wouldn't insist on keeping around. Honestly, those two were going to make this selection last an entire year. It wouldn't be a surprise to Fitz if Jadie ended up having to set a deadline, or if Fitz himself found someone and married them before they'd even narrowed it down to five girls for each of them.

Neither Sam nor Luke appeared to be anywhere close to being done with their lists. He could see that Sam had a number of names written down, though he couldn't read them, while Luke didn't appear to have a single girl on his completely blank sheet of torn-out notebook paper from the notebook that he had slipped back into some hidden place a few minutes ago.

After giving his brothers around five to seven minutes to finish writing down names, a time in which he gazed out the window and aimlessly watched the insects and leaves dance about in the gently flowing breeze, Fitz turned his chair back around and wheeled himself over to his place at the head of the table. He cleared his throat to make Luke and Sam look up at last. They both did, of course, because they'd lived with him for their entire lives and knew when he was going to say something rather important.

"We're to reconvene now and continue with our eliminations. Luke, I nominate you to read off your names first. Sam will go after Luke has finished, and I will then proceed to go last. All of us will need to voice our opinions when we hear a name that we don't agree on eliminating," said Fitz, head held high in an imitation of his father's body language during conferences.

Luke looked vaguely uncomfortable at the prospect of going first. Thankfully, he managed to compose himself enough to take the plunge and get this finished with. "Um. I don't really have many names on here, maybe I should just let you two go and then speak out like Fitz just told us to do. That, er, would work better than me just stuttering out the few names that I did write down at the last second because I hadn't written anything yet," he said, his voice wavering.

Nodding, Fitz chose to just have Sam go so they could get on with this and not have to dally about doing things that wasted time. They all probably had important and more pleasant matters to attend to after this unfortunate meeting was over, though Fitz knew almost nothing about the schedules of his brothers.

The youngest Schreave triplet began to list a large amount of names. Many of them were the easier ones that Fitz had listed out first on his own piece of paper. Finally, Sam took a breath and started to list even more names, though these weren't quite as insignificant as the previous batch of them had been. "Gloria Saylor. Lark Thatcher. Elizabeth Morey. Maisynn Ingenium. Renalie Stark. Kira Hewitt. Taylor Bray. Cameron Vienna. Alexis Kingsley," he listed. Fitz instantly knew that this was going to be quite a significant discussion.

"I want to keep Elizabeth, Kira, Taylor, Cameron, and definitely Maisynn. None of those girls, though they may be quiet and less loud than you prefer them to be, should be going home yet. They all deserve to be here for longer," replied Luke, a fiery determination suddenly sparking up in him like a flame.

This was the correct time for Fitz to voice his own opinion. "Very well. I agree on those, though I would also like to preserve Gloria, Lark, and Alexis. Luke formerly listed the others that I would prefer to remain in the palace with us," he responded. Sam shrugged, appearing uncaring and distanced, almost like he barely cared about this entire process and didn't see any of the importance that this one meeting held in the grand scheme of their lives, making a gargantuan impact in how the next three or four months would be progressing.

"That just leaves Renalie, then," remarked Sam. Fitz could agree on sending her home as well, she was the oldest competitor and didn't possess any captivating traits that some of the other listed girls had certainly demonstrated on multiple occasions.

Although Luke hesitated, Fitz spoke once again. "Then she'll be eliminated, along with the others we chose not to save. That leaves us with forty three girls in total remaining in the selection. That's still more than half, of course, more girls than I would have liked to be sticking around here for a time, but I suppose we can work with that. I still have names on my own paper that haven't been mentioned by our youngest compatriot. This means that now would be the correct time to read them, I presume?" he said.

"Only forty three?" asked Luke, looking confused, "That's not a large number at all. We only had seventy to begin with," the middle prince then seemed reluctant to say any more. He was good at compromising, that was easy to be said, despite his frequent worries about completely insignificant people, places, things, and even inanimate and uninteresting objects.

Fitz continued on with reading out his own list. He spoke many of the other unimportant names that his brothers wouldn't care about, girls that had barely done anything during the show and hadn't really done anything during the rest of their stay at the palace either, for that matter. Then it came time for his more debatable listings. "Chiara, Poppy, Willow, Jillian, and Evangeline. I believe that concludes my choices for those that will be up for elimination from the selection," explained Fitz.

Neither of his fellow princes said anything for a few seconds, but then Luke frowned. "We should keep Chiara and Jillian. They're both nice girls, we can't make them leave so soon. I don't want either of them to think that we don't like them just because they're quieter than most of the other girls here tend to be," he said.

Sitting up a bit straighter, Sam looked over at Luke. He ran a hand over his head, almost as if he was itching it, before settling back down again into his natural resting position of being similar to a wet tissue, or maybe a drooping flower. "If you think so, dude, then go ahead. I don't think that they'd talk to me anyway. Chiara would probably just faint if I tried to talk to her, and Jillian doesn't really pay any attention to me in any way so far,"remarked the youngest prince of Illea, once again sounding like he didn't care in the slightest about what actually happened.

Surprisingly, he coughed and blushed a bit before continuing to speak. "And, ah, maybe we should keep Willow around. And possibly Evangeline. I don't see any good reason for either of them leaving unless you just want to send people home, and I think we've already cut down enough girls to make saving them acceptable," he said.

"Willow?" inquired Luke, frowning and furrowing his brow. Sam seemed to be imagining something that he truly wanted to forget inside his mind and took a moment before he answered the middle triplet. "Well, you always look scared to death when Katelin comes around, and she kind of keeps Katelin in line. That's good, right? You'd want there to be someone who was able to control that psychotic piece of work if you always appear to be so terrified of her for some weird reason," replied Sam, attempting to explain himself but sounding like he was hiding something.

Luke appeared to be suspicious, but an unspoken conversation quickly broke out between the two of them and he was soon looking like he was perfectly fine with keeping Willow around. He did seem like he knew more than he was telling Fitz, however.

"I believe that's all of the names. Shall I deliver these to Jadie so you can get back to whatever nonsense the two of you were participating in before she called us all down here for this very enlightening and supremely important meeting about the selection?" inquired Fitz. In response, Luke nodded and Sam shrugged. That was typically their reaction to any of his statements in that general field of questions, though, so Fitz wasn't in the least bit surprised that they had acted like that.

Fitz was the first of the three to stand, pushing in his chair and striding out the door without looking back to make sure that his brothers were actually going to leave the conference room without sitting around like piles of potato sacks until Jadie came around and found them sitting there uselessly.

He found Jadie in the hallway of the conference room, supposedly on her way to discover why they had been taking as long as they had been. She appeared to be pleasantly surprised when Fitz handed her the list of names that he had jotted down on a separate piece of paper while they had all been talking about them earlier. "Thank you, Fitz. I'll let the girls know about this tomorrow morning so that they can pack the rest of that day and then leave," Jadie remarked.

Given that his job was done, Fitz walked away from Jadie and up towards where the east library was located. He could use a good class of iced tea and a long afternoon reading one of his favorite books on old American political matters and things like that.

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! I apologize for my inability to write things in a timely fashion. I had most of this chapter finished on Monday, but things happen, and those things did their best to prevent me from finishing this up until now. I'm sorry to say that** **Renalie Stark** **(Submitted by Caribbean Trinidadian** **) and Poppy O'Hare (Submitted by Panicatthepityparty) have now been eliminated. All the throwaways have also been eliminated as well, so we're now down to Forty Two girls. All of them were submitted and all of them will be going on the Hawaii trip. Instead of having any more complications, Kira will now be getting her own room in her shared apartment thing with Illonie and Kinsey, and Avriella will do the same in Apartment Six. If you have any questions, please let me know! **

**Don't forget to review! They honestly make me feel wonderful, and they let me know that you all won't be tracking me down and killing me with large amounts of fire for not releasing anything for so long.**


	47. One of Many Goodbyes

Prince Sam's POV

To Sam, it was a bit sad that the eliminations took place on a Sunday afternoon. That wasn't because he actually thought the religious stuff that went with this day of the week made a particular impact on the girls who were leaving the palace. In fact, he thought it was sad because of the report that would air on Friday and announce the elimination to the whole country, ripping open the unhealed wounds of the girls who were sent home and causing them to experience even more pain about leaving.

One of the other things he disliked about eliminations was how the princes were required to give the girls a proper send off. Jadie had made this a rule, insisting that they needed to at least say goodbye to the girls and make sure they didn't feel forgotten. Sam was pretty much prepared for at least one of them punching him, if not during this exact elimination.

Looking up from his phone, Sam found himself walking over to his bedroom door and opening it. His glowing phone screen told him that it was nearly time to start the painful process. Fitz had told him a gazillion times that it was supposed to start at 4:30 exactly, and that meant that he had six minutes to get down there without Jadie lecturing him about the importance of going places on time and being punctual and all of that useless stuff that he didn't really need to know.

It was probably smart to turn his phone off before he tripped down the stairs or something. Plus, he'd be yelled at for sure if any annoying organizers, stern mothers, or stuck-up older brothers found him using it on his way down. King Maxon might even end up yelling at him if he saw Sam with it on as well.

Random maids and other palace employees passed him on his way downstairs, all of them looking at him like he was suddenly going to lunge out and attack them. Did they all think he was some kind of vampire? Actually, Sam thought that would be pretty awesome. Then he'd be able to flee the palace, possibly take a few of the girls with him, and find some super-cool place to live while he played video games and did completely amazing pranks until the sun ended up turning into a pile of floating ashes in space.

A maid that he walked by while he was going down one of the many second floor hallways gave him a shifty side eye. He made note of her face, but judging from the mostly covered box she had sticking out of her cleaning supply bag, she was just going to go visit whoever she was romantically involved with and have a bit of fun with them.

Noticing that he was going through one of the areas where a few of the selected were rooming, Sam instantly became glad that they would be getting themselves beautified and dressed up by their more than likely to be crying maids down in wherever they went to do that kind of stuff. Jadie had told Fitz, who'd told him, that the rest of the girls were being kept in their rooms until the eliminated girls were gone for reasons unknown to Sam. They'd been wandering around earlier in the day, and would be joining them for their usual dinner later.

He recognized the door to the room that they'd be saying goodbye to the girls in when he turned down into another hallway after making it down an extremely long and steep staircase. Darting through the thankfully open door, Sam spotted Luke and Fitz waiting in a corner, moving to go join them as soon as he saw them.

"I'm glad you made it here on time, Prince Sam. Though you could have made it here with more than two minutes to spare. Well, I suppose any punctuality is better than none at all! The girls will be here soon enough and then we'll get this over and done with before anything overly awkward can happen. There are quite a lot of them, honestly, but that was to be expected. I'd prepared myself for about ten more than the number you did choose, but that's perfectly acceptable," said Jadie, swooping down on them like a bird of prey.

Sam basically nodded to get her to leave them alone and speed this whole thing up. She paused for a quick second, then marched away to check on the girls or something. He never knew what kind of crazy things Jadie did when she wasn't bossing the three of them around. She could be the vampire, for all he knew. That was pretty unlikely, though, as he'd seen her outside before.

After she'd left the room, he surveyed his brothers to see if he fit in with them enough. Fitz, looking regal and oh-so perfect, was wearing a casual blazer and a pair of long pants, a polo shirt visible underneath his jacket. Even his dark brown loafers were spotless. Luke, though dressed simpler than Fitz, wore khaki shorts and a comfortable looking collared shirt, neutral colored sneakers setting off the look. Sam felt good about his decision to not wear his pink t-shirt and his floral patterned jeans, instead wearing something similar to Luke's outfit.

Although Sam usually considered himself to dress like how he wanted to, without paying attention to trends or anything, he definitely knew that he had a weird gift for fashion. Many of his social media posts that were pictures of himself were noted as being highly fashionable and on-trend for the current season.

"I hate this," muttered Luke, wringing his hands together and looking like he wanted to run from the room. It was obvious that the middle triplet had been attacking his fingernails with a vengeance since yesterday. Skin around the nails was stained with dried blood and broken open, the nails themselves picked down and appearing misshapen, scabs that had healed over from his last attack being broken open. Sam carefully pushed Luke's hands apart and Luke gave him a grateful look. Sam didn't need his brother hurting himself.

Jadie came back in only a few minutes after that. The girls filed in behind her, ready to awkwardly stand around for five minutes before they all walked out of the door on the other side of the room. They'd then collect their bags, go to the airport, and be flown back home to whatever province they'd lived in before the selection started a few weeks earlier.

Quickly realizing that he didn't know half the names of the girls in the room, Sam secretly hoped that the girls would want to just get out the other door as quickly as possible and would want to avoid this just as much as he did. Some of them would want to get out of here, right? He couldn't be the only person in this room that wanted to have this done as fast as it possibly could be completed. Well, besides Luke, he supposed, judging from his brother's battle with his fingernails.

"Alright, girls, just do whatever you need to do to say goodbye and then exit the room through the other door. I'll be waiting for you on the other side, along with your bags and the cars that will take you all to the city airport," commanded Jadie, already turning so she could exit the room and making it out by the time she'd finished the speedy instructions she'd directed at the girls.

Jadie kept the door open. He couldn't see what was on the other side from where his brothers had been standing when he'd joined them earlier, but that was perfectly fine for him. The closer he was to the door that he'd be using to get out of this room, the one he'd entered through earlier and not the ones that the girls would be using soon, the closer to freedom and the closer to relieving the awkwardness and slight feelings of discomfort he would be. The same was probably true for Luke, though not for Fitz.

One of the girls he didn't know walked straight towards the other door without a backwards glance. A number of the others followed her, a few stopping quickly and saying goodbye before ducking their heads down and getting out before they'd checked to see if any of the triplets had actually said anything to them in return to their hasty goodbye.

"Hmph. I guess you had to do this, but next time, don't just send someone home without talking to them! I would have thought that you'd at least want to have a conversation and not just a few polite words before you kicked someone out the door like they were an unwelcome eight-legged house guest. Well, goodbye, and have a nice life!" said a girl who looked like she had a large amount of New Asian blood running through her veins. Her glittering, almost black, eyes scanned over him before she haughtily flounced out the labeled exit door.

He blinked, confused, but shrugged it off like he normally did and turned back to doing what he had previously been doing. Who cared if a crazy girl that he'd never even met passive-aggressively insulted him? Sam definitely didn't.

Some of the other girls seemed to want to do the same thing that she had, but none of them actually did, basically standing in front of the three of them awkwardly, and in silence, before scurrying out the other door. If Sam had been in the same place that they were, he would have marched up and unleashed the full force of his sarcastic and quick-witted fury on the princes. Though, thinking about it, it was probably a good thing for Sam that none of the girls were doing that. Yet.

When Renalie came over, she immediately went for Fitz first. Sam couldn't hear the quiet words that she spoke to his brother. From the look on her face, though, she didn't seem all that angry, just subtly disappointed that she wasn't going to get to stay for longer and experience any of the amazing journeys that the other girls would go on soon.

Renalie didn't even look at him when she moved to pass the rest of the triplets. She politely nodded to Luke as she walked by, but Sam could tell that she really didn't think much of him. Besides, the girls who did think of him as an interesting person weren't leaving now, and wouldn't be for a while if he had any say in the eliminations after the Hawaii trip. It would be hard for Jadie to send anyone home in the middle of that. All of the girls would be safe for as long as the trip lasted, however long that was.

The last he saw of the 23 year old historian was a glimpse of her hair as she passed beyond the exit door. It was official. The oldest member of this selection was now gone, probably never to come back even if she was invited to whatever happened once the three princes had chosen the girls they had to spend the rest of their time on earth with.

Since the number of girls in the room was going down pretty fast, Poppy seemed to think that now was a good time to come over and say her last goodbyes before leaving the palace. Her ginger hair made her easily spotted among the few remaining girls, though her periwinkle dress made her appear like she was trying to blend in with the wallpaper, which was pretty much the same color. The simple flats she wore made almost no sound on the floors as she made her way over to where the three triplet princes of Illea were standing in the room.

She took a deep breath when she approached them. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to come to the palace, and thank you for the assistance that the palace offered to all of us for when we finally return home. I'm sure it will help my family, and myself," said Poppy, eyes flickering over each of them.

"I would have liked to stay longer, but I understand that you had to send me home. I don't have anything against you yet, and I think that you three should know that. Maybe I'll see you again one day. If that happens, then I think I'll be at least happy to know that I was remembered by members of the royal family, if only in name and not in personality or special characteristics that made me unique. I hope all of you find love in the rest of the selection," finished the girl. Sam saw Luke give her a sad smile in return to her little speech.

Fitz, as usual, took the job of replying first. "Thank you, Poppy, and I wish you well. You will be remembered, that much I can confirm," he responded. Luke nervously nodded after Fitz was done, and Sam did the same so he didn't feel left out. Poppy looked satisfied and turned to leave out the exit door.

Poppy had been one of the last girls there. Sam kind of hoped that the others would just leave quickly, and it turned out that his hopes were actually being answered for once in his life. All of the others said a fast goodbye to the three of them before ducking out the mysterious doorway and into the unknown area behind it. Soon, everyone was out, and the three of them were the only humans left in the rooms. Jadie didn't hesitate to swoop back in and tell them what they were going to do next.

"Alright, you three, I'm letting you off the hook for the rest of the day. It's a Sunday, so you're welcome to relax and do whatever you want to do. Maybe interact with the girls. It's not my place to decide, but I've got things to do as well, so I'd like it if you three would please go and do whatever you're planning right now," said the overzealous planner, clipboard in hand.

Sam was pretty excited to have the rest of the day cleared. He'd probably spend it browsing social media, or playing video games, or maybe going around and seeing if any of the girls were interested in helping him plan some pranks. His mind first thought of Pandora, Alette, and Aurelia for that. A conversation with the spirited Mazie would be nice as well, and maybe he could find someone else in the palace that had watched the Game of Thrones reruns that had been on last night, though he didn't know if anyone liked that kind of stuff.

Jadie didn't waste time in shooing them out of the room, Sam making a break for the nearest stairs so he could get up to his room and start randomly doing whatever came across his mind for the rest of the day. Fitz went in the other direction, but Sam started to move faster when he heard Luke's footsteps behind him.

However, Luke caught him before he was even all the way up the staircase. "Sam! Sam, wait up, I need to talk to you," he called out, not even out of breath while Sam was already feeling a bit tight around the chest. This was unavoidable, but Sam didn't like where this was going, and it could be pretty bad if Luke asked him what Sam thought he was going to ask. It was unlikely that he'd be able to get out of this forever. Although, Luke was forgetful sometimes. Occasionally. About things that weren't quite as weird as this.

"You never told me what you saw during the performance," said Luke, dropping the bomb. In this case, Sam would have liked that bomb to be a literal one, or maybe a stink bomb, or even an especially smelly fart that stank like sulphur or something gross. His mind had an unpleasant flashback to the night of the performance.

 _Sam had turned the corner, Luke in the bathroom and not following him, ready to investigate the strange noises. He'd been unprepared for what he'd seen when he'd finally reached the place where they were coming from. He wasn't spotted, but he was shocked, and stood there with his mouth open like some kind of fish for a few seconds before it registered in his formerly, and happily, bored mind. Sam had turned after that to get out of there before he was spotted and had then collided with Luke on the way back._

"Um, it's not important," replied Sam, trying to get out of this as he tried to remove the memory from his mind. Luke raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Are you sure? Sam, you literally ran me over, it couldn't be something that wasn't, er, important?" he responded. The youngest of the triplets began to swear like a drunken sailor in his head.

The first lie he thought of popped out of his mouth before he could think about it, like usual. "It was a mouse! Yeah, that's it, a mouse. I was startled that there was a freaking mouse in the actual performance center. You know, like, Jadie would have never, um, let such a… destructive… creature into the place without it being detected and forcibly thrown out by it's tiny little tail! I was so surprised, I had to immediately come back and tell you," said Sam, scrambling for words.

It was clear that Luke didn't believe him at all, but he shook his head and continued up the stairs, probably to think about how to better corner Sam and ask him about it later. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that could have been worse, but he definitely didn't want to tell Luke what he'd seen.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello! I'm just going to stop making stupid promises, as this definitely isn't anywhere near finished today, but thank you so much for being patient! Next chapter, I'm going to have a bit of action and some events that will cause the Hawaii trip to be a little more complicated and a little longer than I'd originally planned.**

 **If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review! And please keep reading! I know I'm horrible, but I'll get back to normal one of these days.**


	48. Unknown Emotions

Prince Luke's POV

Luke should have known that the rebels weren't going to leave them alone. Although it had only been a week, or perhaps two, since the last attack, it felt like an eternity had passed, and an eternity was much longer than any self-respecting rebel would have needed to plan an attack. He kind of only realized this when the attack actually came, though. His usually observant nature wasn't really working well enough to predict the disastrous day that would be coming up ahead of him.

He still had no clue on what had happened in the aftermath of the last attack, unsure of why his friend and his family had suddenly decided to up and leave when the palace was a perfectly good place for them to live, confused on why Fitz had seemed a little weird in the days following the terrible event.

It was almost as though both of his brothers were keeping secrets from him. Obviously, they weren't going to tell him everything, but Luke would have thought that something that was making them act weirdly would be important enough to tell him. Not to mention Sam's avoidance of mentioning what he'd really seen during the performance. Luke has his suspicions about that. Plus, he'd seen Sam encounter a mouse before, and there wasn't really any running or panic then. Sam probably would have kept it if Jadie hadn't appeared.

Was he always this off-topic? Luke, even though it wasn't a good idea to think more about the relatively scary rebels, found himself focusing on what was actually happening in real life. His mind flew back to the beginning in an effort to figure out whatever stupid thing someone had done to cause this kind of significant disaster.

First, his day had started out with him waking up. That was normal. Sleeping until 8:00, then being woken up by one of the butlers, given that his alarm seemed to have mysterious stopped working after he'd accidently rolled out of bed and crushed it by taking the nightstand down with him a few weeks ago. At least he didn't trip over the stacks of binders and notes that were all over his floor when he'd forced himself out of his really cozy bed.

Breakfast was even more nerve-wracking than it usually was. He still had felt responsible for the eliminations that had happened yesterday, and seeing the smaller number of girls didn't really help that in the slightest, making him worry about them thinking that he had been the one to personally select all of the girls who'd left them.

Then came another meeting with Jadie, discussing how the Hawaii trip would work and figuring out how on earth the three princes would get through it. She'd been making them go through the seating plans for the plane and having them move the girls around into better positions. Unfortunately, Sam had gotten away with making sure the girls who'd launch a sing-along on the plane were all put together without Jadie noticing him doing it. Fitz hadn't commented either.

It hadn't been very long after that when the alarm had sounded. Luke had been heading back up to his room for his usual panicking session about everything going wrong, and then it did go wrong in a really bad way. That was nearly three hours ago. Things weren't looking any better, which was pretty obvious to the fifty people jammed inside the safe room.

The dark room with its cold stone walls didn't keep out the noises from up above them. A few of the staircases were being barricaded by guards, taking chairs and crates and pushing them up against the entrance to the center of the room, the other entrances and exits being carefully watched by the other soldiers brought inside the room when they'd all made their way down here after the alarm sounded. Old lights that swayed from the ceiling cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the whole few hours even worse.

Many of the girls were sitting down on blankets that had been laid out by their maids, huddled in small groups and quietly talking to the closest pack of girls. The dresses that they wore, ones that were casual yet fit for the palace, caused the room to have a weird dream-like feeling to it because of all of the pretty colors the fabrics were in.

"Luke. Come over here, I need to speak with you and your brothers in private," whispered Jadie, ushering him over to where she and his other brothers were standing in the light of a flickering ceiling lamp that dangled from a rusted chain. Her eyes swept over him and she probably would have made him fix his hair if they hadn't been in the middle of a completely awful rebel attack. Fitz and Sam looked like they'd already been collected by Jadie, since they wouldn't stand next to each other by choice.

Queen Kriss and King Maxon strode over to the small group from across the room. It would have been nice if they'd tried to not make all of the girls immediately know that something was going on by walking right through the center of the room, but they all seemed scared enough to go back to whatever they had been doing with the others near them.

His father's face was pale, and he looked like he could be knocked over with a feather. Queen Kriss was gripping his arm like the King of Illea was going to topple over if she didn't support him. Her face was determined, stubborn, ready to face anything that got in her way and send it running out of the palace as she whacked it with her crown. Fitz sometimes got the same look in his eyes if he was really ready to fight some member of their father's board about an important political issue that would matter a whole lot to the citizens of the country.

Jadie readjusted her clipboard in it's spot under her arm. "Alright. We're here because we're making modifications to the Hawaii trip for safety reasons. I don't want any unhelpful comments, or protests, because I've spent the last two hours redoing our entire plan for this blast thing," said the planner, a stern look in her eyes.

"What do you mean, redoing? Geez. If you're making us fly to New Asia first or spend a delightful weekend in Italy to confuse them, I'm definitely going to hide in one of the linen closets until the entire thing is over. Foreign relations are not my thing. This is a vacation! Before you ruin it all for me, at least give me some time to plan my escape beforehand so I can get out of it in a completely spectacular and totally awesome way," remarked Sam. Fitz sighed, and Luke knew that was because Sam had just done what Jadie had told them not to do.

Sam waited a second before groaning and accepting his fate of doing whatever Jadie would want him to do. With Sam, Luke knew that it usually worked best to ignore whatever he'd said previously if you actually wanted to get him to do anything without trying to ditch the entire plan.

"First of all, we're going to extend the trip to four weeks. And your majesties aren't going to be joining us on it, as we've already discussed during this unfortunate incident. It'll just be me, the triplets, a few guards and such, and all of the selected girls going on the trip. Arrangements for the extended stay have already been made. Obviously, there are a few more things I have to add about the various changes that I've made, but I'd like to ask if there are any questions first," she explained.

After she'd swept her fierce gaze over all five of the others participating in the conversation, Jadie nodded with satisfaction and quickly took out her clipboard to check a few things off. It wasn't long before it was comfortably nestled in it's spot and Jadie was ready to continue telling them about what she'd had to change for the trip.

"Next. Instead of going straight to Hawaii, we'll be flying into Labrador. That was already part of the plan. However, we're going to make it harder for the rebels to find us by driving out to the other airport on the northern border of Hansport that connects into Labrador after we've landed and getting on the plane for the direct flight to Maui from there. It will be quite intense, the first part of the trip being five and a half hours just to get to Labrador, then we'll be driving for what looks like the same time range to get to the airport in Hansport," continued Jaide.

Sam's jaw dropped open and his eyebrows rose. Luke felt kind of shocked himself. That was a lot of time to be traveling, and that wasn't even all of it! Not to mention that the girls would be tired and probably very unhappy by the time they even set down in Labrador. Hopefully the trip itself would make up for the awful travel time.

Fitz didn't appear quite as surprised, and Luke was able to use his nonchalance to focus on what Jadie said next. "From there, we have a nonstop flight to Maui. That will take at least ten and a half hours, possibly more if we have to have the pilot take a different course to avoid any rebel interactions along the way. We'll do the reverse of that whole process on the way home at the end of the trip, and nothing else will change during the trip except for the details I just told all of you about," she finished, nodding in approval and moving away to talk to their parents.

That was, what, almost an entire day spent traveling? It was worse than Luke had thought it would be, especially since they'd have to do it all again on the way back to Angeles. It would probably end of being the longest amount of time spent traveling for any of the fifty or so people going on the destined-to-be-stressful trip to the islands.

"Four weeks? Is she crazy? That's nearly a whole month! That's like living there for a month! In Hawaii! And we have to spend way too much time to get there!" complained Sam, waving his hands around to express his concern about the plans Jadie had for them. "I don't know how we'll even survive that long on a plane. Seriously, I don't think anyone could sit down for that long with only a few breaks in between each travelling thing," he remarked, adding on to his previous statement.

Fitz gave Sam a look. "Don't question Jadie's careful preparations and obviously strenuous work. Be glad the trip wasn't canceled, Sam, or that she'll let you accompany us on the excursion to the tropical paradise at all. You did want to stay here instead of going to another country, no?" inquired the eldest of the triplets. Luke decided to silently watch this play out.

Of course, Sam didn't wait long before firing back at Fitz with his own remark. "Ha. Really? You think she'd separate us or put me somewhere where she couldn't keep an eye on me? Heck no! Dearest brother of mine, you're really quite deluded if you think Jadie would leave me here without the two of you so I could wreak havoc on the castle. If it's still standing after the rebels are done upstairs, that is," he shot back. It looked like he was kind of enjoying this, which was scary.

Luke knew that Sam could easily get like this when he was challenged, or had encounters with someone he didn't really like, but this was something that hadn't exactly happened among the royal family since King Maxon had first announced that they would be holding the selection in the first place and Sam had been furious about it happening.

The youngest of the three of them had basically torn into them with his words, using wit and sarcasm to fight someone just as well as he could have if he was repeatedly sticking a broadsword in them. Sam had always had a gift for ripping people open and hitting them in the places that it really hurt when he wanted to hurt them. He could easily cause someone to burst into tears if they weren't used to dealing with him. In fact, Luke was kind of surprised Sam hadn't unleashed himself on one of the selected girls Sam didn't exactly like over the past few weeks.

Queen Kriss was probably the most used to dealing with Sam when he did this, since her yelling would often result in him firing back and getting himself into more trouble and a much longer eardrum-bursting session from the queen who really turned into a ferocious mother during those times that the two would get started with their verbal warfare.

This would probably be a good time for Luke to back away and find someone else to before one of his brothers made him enter the fray and a pick a side between the two of them. He noticed that Scarlet was sitting nearby, alone, Cila having gone into the dingy safe room bathroom a few minutes ago, leaving Scarlet to sit by herself with no one to talk to to make the nervousness and the fear that came with every rebel attack go away for the time being. Luke had wanted to talk to her about something, anyway, so this worked.

"Hi, Scarlet," said Luke, sitting down on the hard stone floor next to her. The blonde haired stagehand blinked in surprise at the fact that he'd suddenly appeared, but managed to give him a tiny smile. Luke made sure to smile back. He'd felt himself warming up a little when Scarlet had smiled at him, a kind of weird tingly feeling that he wasn't used to getting.

Making sure to stay on task, Luke remembered what he'd come over to ask her about. "So, er, Scarlet, about the Hawaii trip. I looked into it and I noticed that a theater company is touring there when we'll be there and they're doing the musical _The King and I_ , so I was wondering if you'd maybe want to come with me and see it together while we're there? I mean, it's up to you, we don't have to, but I heard good things about it and I thought that it would be the type of thing that you would mostly enjoy doing with me," he stuttered, blushing a bit.

Thankfully, her face lit up. "Really? Luke, yes! I'd love that! I haven't seen that musical yet, but I watched the old movie adaption of it, and it would be really amazing to see the musical version on stage. Especially in Hawaii!" exclaimed Scarlet, smiling and making him feel like a warm beam of sunshine had just broken through the clouds and shined down on him.

"Great! Um, I'll let you know on the trip when I get us tickets, and I'm glad that you want to go on a date with me. Gah, that sounded weird. Um. Well, er, I should go… do something. Yes. Something. Oh, look, there's Cila, I'll let you two talk to each other alone. I wouldn't want to… intrude? Intrude. On an conversations you two might be having. Um, have a nice day? Bye!" said Luke. As he scurried away, he felt like banging his head into a wall, but he still felt like grinning when he heard Scarlet giggle and excitedly tell Cila about their planned date.

He was a bit distracted, but at least this time no one was knocked over or anything. He just nearly stepped on Neaera and then had to do an awkward little pirouette thing to avoid walking on her at all. Well, at least he could confirm the fact that he was a complete and total mess without having any doubts about it.

Luke found himself plopping down on the floor next to Neaera to avoid any more unfortunate ballet-like missteps. "Sorry about that, Neaera, I hope I didn't accidently step on you or mess up your blanket. I didn't mean to nearly walk all over you," he apologized, a little less happy now that he'd messed up so quickly. Neaera smiled at him, surprisingly, and let out a quiet laugh that caused her raven hair to fall over one of her beautiful blue eyes.

"It's fine, Prince Luke," she replied. Neaera tucked one of the strands of hair that had fallen over her face back behind one of her ears before turning to look at him. "You seem distracted, is there something wrong?" asked the six from Baffin. Luke shrugged, not knowing whether anything was ever really right.

"I don't know. I guess it's just the worry of the attack, and, er, I just asked Scarlet out on a date to see a musical in Hawaii. Oops. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to imply that I didn't want to…" replied Luke, trailing off and putting his forehead on his knees. Sitting in the most compact position possible always made him feel a little more secure when he needed to be, and this was a situation where a litle safety and security would definitely be welcome in his seemingly tension and stress filled life as a prince.

"Um, if you want to do something together in Hawaii, I'm sure I could find something that we could do?" asked Luke, worried that Neaera silence meant that she had been offended by his previous statement about his date with Scarlet and hoping that she wouldn't be mad at him for the entire period of the rest of the selection and the trip.

After a second, he looked up to see Neaera watching his parents sit together with a sad expression on her face. "What? Oh! I'm sorry. I guess I got distracted. I'm not offended, but I still wouldn't mind if we did something together during the trip," she replied. Luke nervously smiled at her, a different kind of happy feeling busting inside him. "Yeah, I'll find some ideas and let you know," he replied, ready to go and see what his brothers were doing before his messed this conversation up.

But then something happened.

A loud thud made everyone in the room turn and look towards the stairs that it had come from.

Luke stood up.

He saw Katelin's unconscious body slowly falling down the stairs, a trickle of blood flowing from her head.

And then everything went black.

* * *

 _Her father had always told her that head wounds bled more than the injury was._

 _After that, he'd told her that she was lucky that he couldn't knock some sense into her brain. He could hurt the rest of her. And he did. But never the head._

 _Her eyesight was blurry when she rolled to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, but she was still conscious, which meant she could still feel the terrible pain that felt like fire all over her body._

 _She saw Luke faint, collapsing and nearly hitting the floor when Neaera swiftly reached out and caught him._

 _Those two were cute. But she couldn't say that, could she? No. She couldn't say anything to anyone, not yet._

 _If she told him, she'd be sent home._

 _Back to her father._

 _Away from Willow._

 _No, she couldn't tell anyone just yet, she couldn't reveal the lies that she'd trapped herself in._

 _The only truth that she knew was that she was scared._

 _Yes. She was scared. Katelin Flores-Lee was terribly, horribly, and unquestioningly, scared._


	49. A Meeting

Prince Fitz's POV

"Attention, all. The July 29th board meeting has now been officially called to order. I, Prince Fitz, will lead this meeting in the place of my currently ill father, King Maxon Schreave of Illea. I intend to conduct this meeting in the same structured way that my father does and I will not tolerate any attempts to sway the course of this discussion. Anyone who seeks to disrupt the meeting or my schedule for it will be swiftly asked to leave the room. Any questions?" said Fitz, his gaze level with those of the six board members seated around the table.

The assembled populace fell silent. There wasn't a doubt in Fitz's mind that they had been reasonably bewildered as to why he was taking the place of the meeting when they had first entered the "Council Room", as it had come to be known as, and he was quite positive that they were now over that confusion after his adequate explanation.

It was true, his father was ill, though not in the way that they would have expected him to be. King Maxon had fallen into a rather dazed and disoriented state after the recent rebel attack from reasons that were unknown to Fitz and the qualified team of professionals that had visited the palace in the past two days since the unfortunate ambush had taken place. He had a theory that it was due to rebel attacks being linked to the loss of quite a few close compatriotes during a past one, especially since it was during a selection, but had no evidence to support his idea.

Quickly scanning the room, Fitz made the decision to check his information on each of the gathered board members as he continued with the opening address to those in the meeting. Sorting their known history while listing out the small number of important issues that had arisen would be an assuredly manage task for Fitz.

Sir Nathan Hurley was seated directly to his left. He was an older gentleman, probably around 70 or so, and had only served on the council for five years. Sir Nathan had been a former governor of the province of Sonage. Fitz wasn't positive on how long Sir Nathan would remain on the council, given his age, but he had shown remarkable progress in dealing with difficult decisions regarding the common populace and the even more challenging problem of dealing with the rebels.

"First, let us begin by going over the recent attack. We'll then move on to matters involving the Selection's upcoming trip to the future province of Islands. These are the only issues on the table and I will not allow any more to be discussed during this session. You can take any questions you might have to my father if you'd like to discuss them when he returns," he said.

On the other side of Sir Nathan sat General Aida Liu, who Fitz knew as the ruthless warrior that had conducted the interrogation of Gilly, a captured rebel from the last attack. The emotionless woman of New Asian descent had been around at the palace for as long as Fitz could remember and he had considered her a strong leader that was someone to be watched and respected. His opinion of her had decreased slightly in the past few weeks, but he still held a certain degree of respect towards the vicious general.

Continuing, Fitz started off with the problematic topic of the week's rebel attack. "Currently, we are still compiling various sources of information to make a complete and accurate representation of how the rebels were able to get into the palace. Does anyone have any news that they would like to share with us on this topic?"

Sir Alexander Ahlstrand gave him a polite nod to signal that he had relevant comments to make about the attack. With ancestors from Swendaway, the Baltic-Livonian Alliance, and the Rus Federation countries of Rurik and Kievan, Sir Ahlstrand had been an important aid in Illea's foreign relations. He was only around a decade oldest than FItz himself was. That made him the closest ally Fitz had on the board, and someone that he actually considered a good friend of his when he was asked to list the names of his friends for some reason.

"I've received reports that the rebels gained entry into the palace by going through the western side of the building. We have reason to believe that they disarmed several of the guards on that side before ambushing an entrance on that wing. From there, they could easily use whatever weapons they'd had access to and continue with their attack," Alexander reported.

Another board member looked highly unconvinced by Sir Ahlstrand words. Secretary Granda worked with his father on matters concerning Illea's treasury and was known to be quite a disagreeable man, a rumor that Fitz could swiftly confirm from his previous interactions with the man that appeared to be a distant relative of the English Mastiff breed of canine. His jowls flapped whenever he made a repugnant remark that made Fitz want to remove the man from the board when he took the position as it's head when he was king of Ilea.

Granda gave Alexander a toxic smile, then turned to look in Fitz's direction. "With all respect, your highness, I don't believe that this was the way the rebels gained entry to our majestic halls. I'm of the firm mindset that someone within the castle provided them the directions, tools, and assistance to make their way into the palace,"

One of the usually quiet occupants of the room seemed to visibly be uncomfortable with Secretary Granda's accusations of treason being involved in the attack. The only other female compatriote to General Liu, Lady Macmillan, was a demure young woman only a few years the junior of Alexander. She'd been rather soft-spoken during the few times she had spoken to the assembled leaders at previous meetings, unlike her vibrant and carefully straightened ginger hair.

This proved to be a reasonable opportunity for Fitz to step in. "Secretary Granda, are you accusing one of the guards of this treasonous act? Or perhaps a maid? Not one of your peers, I hope, as we all know quite well that they'd give their lives before assisting the rebel forces in any sort of attack they might launch on Illea," said Fitz.

Silence fell over the room. The only sound was a pen scratching out words on a lined piece of paper in legible cursive. That pen was attached to the hand of Louis Trudeau, a frequent notetaker, the man who helped control whatever the press had to say about the palace or attacks that was supposed to be a carefully guarded secret. A little known fact about was that he was descended from a leader of one of the countries that had eventually morphed into Illea, the landmass that had been known as Canada.

It had been necessary to reply to Granda in that way because of the remarkably strained relationships among the gathered humans. Sir Nathan disapproved of Mr. Trudeau's open relationship with Benjamin Zabala, the son of the elderly governor of Angeles. Lady Macmillan and General Liu had probably never spoken to each other outside the conference setting.

Rather visibly, Granda ceased to be in agreement on anything with anyone in the room at that particular moment. Fitz had no earthly idea on why his father insisted on keeping the doglike man among the group of the usually intelligent members of his royal board. The manner of his actions were more suited to those of the unfortunate residents of the overly conservative half of the U.S., the ones that were always kept in the shadows and were ignored when the orange president was accused of being too alike to them when he wasn't half as horrible.

"No, no, your highness. I suspect that one of the more recently introduced rogue elements in the palace must have been an accomplice to those meddlesome troublemakers. Probably a bunch of them placed in the lottery, if you ask me. These type of things are too prone to letting dangerous civilians into areas that should be reserved for more important people," Granda said.

The selected? Fitz raised an eyebrow, but General Liu got to speaking before he did. "You should really stop trying to get the royal family to give you a suite in the palace, Secretary, it's really quite tiring. And you're a civilian yourself. In fact, I believe that Prince Fitz and I are the only two people in this room, excluding the guards stationed outside of it, that are are technically considered non-civilians," General Liu smirked in Granda's direction. The usual cold fire in her eyes seemed to burn straight into the secretary.

"Well, er, that's not my point. The selected are dangerous! What if they attempt to take one of the lives of the princes, or blow up the palace?" replied the flustered man. Granda's face had begun to go all red and blotchy with barely contained embarrassment and repressed fury towards the formidable and much more powerful General Liu.

Fitz himself could respond to this. "Background checks, Secretary Granda, were done quite thoroughly before any of the girls were admitted entrance into the palace. I could always send our official planner and organizer, Jadie Flores, over to you for a lengthy conversation on the well known mechanics of how we keep the selection a safe and non-threatening event for all of the residents and employees of the palace," responded Fitz. Granda paled at the thought of a lengthy conversation with the infamous Jadie and her dangerous clipboard.

"Given that this meeting hasn't been as productive as I would have hoped it to be, I'll officially deem it completed. You're all dismissed and free to leave to return to wherever you would normally be at this time in the day," continued the eldest prince of Illea, assessing that nothing worthwhile would be accomplished during this session.

The board members began to file out. However, General Liu remained inside the room after the others had all dispersed into the hallway. "Your highness, would you be so gracious as to accompany me for a quick walk around the gardens? I have information on the rebel attack that would be useful to you. It wasn't proper to say some as confidential as it is during the meeting, so I had hoped that I'd be able to have a quick word with you now to make sure you know about everything that's going on," she said.

"Of course, General. Guards, please inform Jadie that I'll be just a minute before I come to assist her with the preparations for the upcoming trip," commanded Fitz. The two guards stationed outside the conference room doors nodded as Fitz and General Liu passed through them on their way to the nearest exit into the palace gardens.

When the guards had left in search of the neon-pantsuited coordinator, and when the unlikely pair of palace occupants were outside, Fitz motioned for General Liu to begin telling him about what was important enough to warrant a private conversation with him. "In the aftermath of the rebel attack, it came to my attention that the guards outside of the holding area downstairs had been… disposed off. Their corpses were sent back to their families for a proper burial after being analyzed by our scientists,"

"However, the captured rebel was also found inside the room. I was rather surprised to find that the rebels hadn't taken her with them. In fact, they did quite the opposite. Her body was still warm when we found her, still bleeding all over her cell floor from the gruesome wounds that had been inflicted on her by those she trusted,"

Fitz's eyebrows rose. That was new information. Granted, he should have been informed of this immediately, not days after the attack had taken place, but it was relieving to know that the general had made sure to inform him on matters such as this one, even if they were a tad bit unsettling to hear for his mind and his recently filled stomach. He could easily recall Lark and him discovering who their masked attacker had been during the previous session of rebel interference.

General Liu's words also made him a bit unsettled. It had sounded an awful lot like a threat, "Inflicted on her by those she trusted,". Fitz made a mental note to be more wary of the imposing woman during his next encounter with her in the palace.

"How was she killed?" inquired Fitz. Knowing the details, while not particularly favorable for his stomach and the lunch remaining inside it, were essential for him if he ever wanted to fix the problem of the rebels for good. Not to mention that knowing what the peculiar girl had come to an end with would be a start on dismantling the mysterious shell that surrounded her past and why she'd even been a rebel in the first place. Her eyes, gazing into him with unspoken accusations, were still prominent in his thoughts.

A slight pause occurred before the general answered him. "The weapon is unknown, but the method of slicing the victim multiple times in numerous places matches that of the Fox, a known rebel that was thought to be driven out of the country some time ago. His name was revealed as being Fox Wesley when he was caught by the police in Clermont,"

The name was recognizable. "How did he escape? I remember being sympathetic towards him, his mother leaving and his father dying of cancer, until I became aware of his crimes," remarked Fitz in response to the general. Apparently, the rebel was around Fitz's age and had worked as a lifeguard before the death of his parents and his involvement with the rebel forces in his home province of Clermont. That was the province Celeste had come from, though there wasn't a connection between the two. It wasn't as if Fox was in the selection.

"We have no reason to believe he escaped. The last I heard, he'd ended up living somewhere in the Pacific and had turned his life around, returning to his past career. Maybe the rebels simply wanted to take a page out of his violent book and try to pin the blame on him again. I'll check my sources, though," replied General Liu.

He considered this. "Perhaps. Where in the Pacific, exactly?" asked Fitz, curious as to whether he'd ended up on the islands or in somewhere like Kwajalein, under the authority of no one except the inhabitants of the island itself. General Liu had been staring intently at something in the distance when she jolted back to the present to answer his question with a slight cough under her breath. He hoped she wasn't becoming sick, as that would be a terrible lose for the palace forces and for his father's royal board of advisors.

"I'm unsure on where he was last seen. I do know that the islands did become an attractive area for men of your ages to be located, however, with the famed Swedish chef Henri Jakoopi and one of the more popular couples of the LGBT movement living on Maui at the moment. I believe you'll meet them on the trip," she said.

Two names surfaced in his mind as he and the general approached the doors that would let them back into the palace from their little outing in the gardens. "The famous Angeles couple, you mean? The fashion designer and the activist that popped up last year and made quite the impression on the west coast of Illea?" question Fitz, curious if that was who she was speaking off. General Liu nodded as they stepped into the nicely air-conditioned building.

"Yes. And it appears that Jadie is waiting for you, your highness. I don't think that you should disappoint her and her neon radiance. If anything else comes up, I'll let you know. And I've already been tapped to have my underlings look into the rest of the population of Maui, if it interests you, and I could give you more information if you need it," remarked the general.

"Thank you. Your services are much appreciated, General, and I look forward to the day that I'll have you on my own royal board," replied Fitz, giving her a quick smile before striding over to where Jadie was standing. It hadn't been very hard to spot her when they'd come into the building. However, Fitz appreciated General Liu giving him fair warning anyways. The general was an interesting blend of terrifying and rather helpful to him, at least, though he wasn't sure about the thoughts of his brothers.

Jadie motioned for him to follow her to her office. Fitz did as she instructed, knowing it was best to listen to her, and was surprised to see that she had another set of binders and folders waiting for him when he entered her rather cramped office. It was filled with papers and binders, along with all sorts of other things that frequently accompanied her.

"These are for you. I want you to look over them all tonight, they've got as much information about the trip as I was able to stuff into them. I'll need your choices for the seating arrangements by tomorrow morning, so those should be marked as a priority. You can still look at some of the other ones first, as it's best for you to read all of it, but the rest can be done while you're eating breakfast or something," said Jadie, handing him the impressive stack of three two and a half inch binders and half a dozen stuffed folders.

Fitz moved to leave the room when Jadie said something to him that nearly made him drop the stack of things. "And, if you didn't know, you should put Katelin and Willow together on the plane. Willow definitely reins Katelin in, somehow,"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Marching band can really take up a lot of time that I used to be able to use as my writing sessions. With that said, though, please be aware that I'm never going to abandon this story, and everyone should know that they don't have to ever worry about that.**

 **I'd like to quickly thank everyone for reacting positively to "Killow," as I've decided to start calling it. I was actually a bit worried about how everyone's feedback would go about them in the last few chapters, but it turns out that I didn't have as much to worry about as I thought I did originally.**

 **Here's a quick thing to keep everyone in the RRGS spirit while you wait for my next chapter. In your review, choose as many characters as you want from the story and list what you think a good theme song for them would be. Don't be afraid to think outside the box! I'm looking forward to seeing this, as I know how creative everyone is, and you're free to do your own character as well. In the next chapter, I'll give a shout out to my favorites in the Author's note.**

 **Seating charts for the flights, and the lists of who will be in what car, will be up in the next day or so. Be on the lookout for that in my profile.**

 **As always, don't forget to review! They really make me feel like I'm worth something as a human being, and that the adventures of Fitz, Sam, and Luke deserve to be written.**


	50. A Little Bit of Mischief

Prince Sam's POV

For once in his life, Sam had thought up something absolutely brilliant. It was an idea that was way cooler than any he'd had in the past year or two. Obviously, his brothers and Jadie wouldn't think it was as awesome as he knew it was, but Sam was certain that he could actually get this plan approved. To do that, however, he would need the help of some of the most reliable pranksters, mess-makers, and all-around amazing people that were currently living in the palace.

His team would include whoever he could get to help him off of the list he'd made. It would be a SWAT team, one that could swoop in and out with executing the genius thing he'd come up with, and would also just let Sam talk to people who liked mischief-making almost as much as he always did.

"Hey! Dory? You in there?" yelled Sam, pounding on Pandora's door with his fist. A muffled sound came from inside the room. The door swung open without any warning, causing Sam to stumble and reach out like a zombie to get to the wall before he fell over. Pandora giggled as he dusted himself off. Her blonde hair, the rainbow streaks hidden underneath it visible, was tied up in a messy bun near the top of her head with a red hair tie and wobbled around whenever she moved her head to try to stop laughing at him.

Pandora's blue eyes met his brown ones. "I think I am, Sam, thanks for wondering. What seems to be the problem today" she asked. Sam found himself struggling to find the words to explain his totally amazing plan to her as she looked at him in a way that made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"I need you to take a position on my council of Pranksters. It's, like, a thing I'm making for something that I want to do during the trip and I thought that you would be a good person to be on it. I'm going to go ask some other girls then start the first official meeting. That way, smart people can draft a message to Jadie and it won't immediately get turned down. I decided to start with you because you're kind of awesome. You in?" said Sam, letting out a stream of curse words in his head as he realized how lame he sounded.

The blonde five fidgeted with the hem of her tank top before grinning in his direction. "Heck yeah. Who's next for induction?' repllied Pandora with a slight laugh. Sam sidestepped to avoid being squished by the door as she shut it behind her and walked out of her maids probably weren't in there, though Sam had no freaking idea where they were.

"Maybe Aurelia. I also want Alette, Dakota, Willow, Evangeline, Kinsey, Lisbeth, and Averian to help out if they're available. That's a lot of girls, though, so we could cross some off if everyone turns out to be free for the afternoon," Sam shrugged as he tried to think of where Aurelia's room was. Nine people, including him, would probably be a mini disaster waiting to happen. Excluding the girls might make them punch him or something, so he was confident that someone would find a way to make the meeting actually work.

Sam began to walk down the hallway. Pandora caught up with him pretty quickly, and he noticed that she seemed a tiny bit concerned about something. "What did I do this time?" he asked, guessing that he'd messed up or done something stupidly awesome like he always did.

She shook her head. "No, it's not you. I'm just trying to figure out why you'd have people like Evangeline and Willow on a prank council. Have you even met Evangeline?" Pandora's face made it pretty clear what she thought of the six. Sam hadn't seen any problems with inviting Evangeline, especially since she definitely seemed to pay more attention to him than she did to either of his brothers. And, of course, Willow was kind of already taken. She'd seemed like she would also know how to do things as well.

"Yes. And my idea doesn't really require them to have as much prank knowledge as you might think. If Evangeline can't keep up, I'll just let her quietly sit and paint her nails or something girly like that. Plus, Willow could always babysit her," replied Illea's youngest prince. Pandora rolled her eyes, but he ignored it and kept walking towards where he thought his next stop.

Soon enough, Pandora stopped walking. Sam turned around to see what had caused the delay, and found that Pandora had slowly become a little bit frustrated with him. "I have a better idea. I'll go find the others, and you can go snag a room for all of us to use. You've been going the wrong direction this entire time," she said. He'd been going the wrong way? Oops. At least Pandora knew where she was going, and this way Sam could spend some quality time with his phone before getting down to business. He nodded his approval for her plan.

Once she'd turned back in the other direction, he tried to remember where exactly he needed to be going now. The nearest open conference room was probably too far away to be useful for them. Also, who knew when some stuck-up advisor was going to chase them out of there? Sam needed a much more secure place to work.

Something popped into his mind. There was a forgotten safe room not far from here. It was one of the ones that had been out of use for at least half a century, and didn't even require any secret passages to get into it, making the room a perfect place to hold his meeting. Pandora wouldn't find it without help, though, so he took his phone out of his pocket and began to text the urban artist as he quickly walked down the hallway towards the old safe room.

" _hallway 7. plant. Door."_ typed Sam, his thumbs dancing on the phone screen as he wrote out his message. A satisfying swoosh told him that the text had been successfully delivered. Sam was mostly sure that Pandora would be able to decipher it as Hallway Seven on this floor, behind the potted plant, through the tiny closet door.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry for the super short chapter! Writer's block and the end of Summer have both hit me pretty hard, so it's no wonder that it's taken me this long to even write something that's only half-decent. I'm going to try to make next chapter the same as it usually is, but please don't think that I'm going to keep taking this much time to get something out. Hopefully, the return of routine and school will make me a little more creative.**

 **Don't forget to review! Honestly, the best cure for writer's block is probably just seeing people reacting to it. My anxious nature makes human judgement much more important to how I do basically anything.**


	51. Stepping Off

Prince Luke's POV

 _It was one of those nights. They always seemed to happen when he was feeling kind of stressed, or particularly worried, so it wasn't all that surprising that it would happen the day before the final packing event. Luke supposed that there was some logical scientific explanation for it that he would try to look up later._

 _By they, Luke meant dreams of any sort. Nightmares and fantasies were both usually morbid whenever he had them. He didn't blame any of the books he'd read over the years, but there wasn't really anything else to blame that could have caused the type of images that he had to struggle through on nights like this. And, just to spite him, he never remembered any of them and woke up with an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach._

 _Tonight's dream was one of the ones that would have caused him to wake up extremely confused and disoriented._

 _It had an eerie feeling of truth to it, even while he'd never been to any of the places that he saw in it._

 _But, like most dreams, he wasn't going to remember it when he woke up._

 _He was going to carry on like everything was fine. Inside, he knew it wasn't._

 _Night after night. Nightmares. Dreams. Terrible things._

 _Until he woke up…._

"Luke! Dude, snap out of it!" exclaimed Sam, snapping his fingers underneath Luke's nose and causing him to jolt back to the present. The first thing he saw was the concerned face of Maisynn Ingenium. She was seated across from him, a plate of still-warm pastries untouched in front of her, staring at him like he had just suffered some really bad medical condition that was possibly life-threatening to him and everyone else in the room.

Maisynn blinked and he turned to look at his brother. Sam's brown eyes were filled with amusement, similar to when he'd just seen a hilarious prank unfold on camera from his phone, though Luke thought that Sam was probably laughing at him spacing out at the breakfast table once again.

With a mouthful of waffle, the youngest triplet grinned in his direction. "Someone didn't get enough sleep last night?" he teased. Luke rolled his eyes, but shrugged so Sam would stop bothering him. "I guess," Luke added, remembering who he was dealing with. The truth was probably closer to him just being disturbed by the dreams even when he had managed to get the necessary nine or eight hours of sleep he needed.

"Does anyone really get enough sleep anymore? I mean, I definitely don't. I'd rather be doing something that's a bit more fun than wasting the night away," remarked Averian, sitting a few seats down from Maisynn on the other side of the table, waving her fork around as she talked with a large smile on her face.

A few of the girls closest to Averian laughed. Averian could be funny sometimes, but Luke wasn't sure if her slightly quarrelsome nature was a good thing or not. He was beginning to think that she was one of the girls Sam would like more than he or Fitz would. When he looked back over at her, Luke saw that she was talking animatedly to Ashla, her chocolaty brown ponytail swishing from side to side as she attempted to not knock over the sugar bowl while talking.

Thinking about sugar, Luke decided that he'd better find some sort of breakfast before the girls ate anything that had any flavor at all. His nose led him to a plate of warm, buttery croissants, and he happily used the tongs to plop two of them down on his empty plate.

"Luke, you'd do best to eat those in a timely manner. Jadie stated earlier that's she's going to brief the group around 9:30 sharp and it's nearly time for her to return. And, if you don't mind me asking, are you feeling ill? You seemed quite disoriented five minutes ago," said Fitz, sitting on Luke's right, his plate already cleared of the strawberry pastries that had been on it when Luke had first come back from his mind palace. The eldest triplet looked almost concerned about him.

Manners prevented Luke from answering Fitz until he'd gulped down the first croissant. "Er, no, I'm fine. I just drifted off. And thanks for reminding me. I probably wasn't paying attention when Jadie was in here," he replied. Fitz gave him a careful nod, then went back to his conversation with Atlantis.

Still warm, with butter sliding down it in rivulets, the second croissant on Luke's plate looked like it almost was too appetizing to eat. But, in all honesty, that was probably just because he hadn't eaten dinner last night so he could get more packing done for the trip. It was hard to believe that they'd be starting the daunting hours of traveling tomorrow. Where had the time gone?

High-heels clacking on the marble floors made Luke quickly shove the breakfast pastry into his mouth. If Jadie had been looking at him in that moment, she'd probably have tried to attack him with her clipboard to make him remember to utilize manners. Katelin was violent for a reason.

"Everyone should be done eating! I'm pleased to see that anyone who hadn't come to breakfast wearing the appropriate attire went and changed. We'll be leaving to get into the golf carts in just a moment, but I'd first like everyone who hasn't finished packing to immediately raise their hands so I can see them," announced Jadie, subtly dusting off her vibrant turquoise blazer as she waited for the unfortunate few to raise their hands.

Three hands slowly went up into the hair. Chiara and Elia managed to look ashamed, but Sophea didn't have any sort of semblance of humility on her face. Jadie swiftly made three sharp marks on her clipboard's current packet of paper before raising her head to survey the girls once more.

Elia stared down at the floor as Jadie ushered the three girls out of the room. It was a shame that they'd have to miss the day's activities. Luke was a tad bit frustrated with Jadie, given that she hadn't told anyone that they actually needed to pack before today, though he was sure she had her reasons why. No one except Jadie was able to organize the rather impressive amount of paperwork that the selection created.

Once Jadie had led the unfortunate girls out, she returned to her former position at the foot of the table. "After I've led you to the golf carts, wait for everyone to get in before taking off. You'll all follow me and then wait for further instructions. Two to a cart, please, and don't damage the cart" continued the neon-suited planner.

She waited expectantly for a few seconds before signalling to the guards to open the doors. "Everyone, follow me!" she exclaimed, not waiting to check to see if anyone was behind her as she marched out of the room. Everyone, Luke included, scrambled to get out of their chairs so they could catch up with her. It wasn't very surprising that he ended up in the very back of the herd of people.

Up ahead, he could see the group turning down the right corridor. Why were they going that way? Suddenly, Luke realized that he didn't have a clue about where they were going or what they would even be doing once they finally reached their destination.

The girls nearest to him, Kira and Jessica, didn't take long to notice him being in their immediate proximity. Kira happily fell into step with him while Jessica hovered uncertainly in front. "So, Luke, what're we doing today?" asked Kira, her sea blue eyes seeming happy yet determined. They turned the corner as Luke struggled to tell her how ignorant he was without stuttering or making himself appear to be a two year old with no grasp of the english language.

"Um, I have no idea what we're doing," responded Luke. Kira didn't seem very concerned by his answer. She was silent for a few seconds as they followed the group to the end of a hallway, then increased her pace to join the main formation when she spotted Jadie waiting for Luke with Fitz and Sam by her side.

Although he didn't know what Kira had against Jadie, it still stung Luke a bit that she'd left so quickly. Part of him knew it was probably because he was the forgotten middle prince, while the part of him that had some semblance of possessing self-esteem tried to blame it on Jadie or other things. It kind of confused him that he'd gotten used to not be ignored over the past weeks of the selection.

Sam grinned at Luke when he reached the trio. Knowing the youngest of the triplets, someone was probably going to end up in a golf cart with a stink bomb hidden inside it. Maybe it would be a good idea to ride with Sam to avoid any smelly problems that might pop up in the near future.

"Now, boys, you know the drill. No sitting with any of the girls. I'll take Luke. Fitz, you take Sam and go to the trail end of the pack. I don't want Sam driving anything more powerful than a scooter. Wait. No. Nothing more powerful than a tricycle," she explained. Luke found himself struggling to not laugh.

This would be a good opportunity to ask Jadie what was going on. Thankfully, Sam beat Luke to it and spared him the pain of trying to speak up and say something to the relatively ferocious planner. "What the heck are we even doing, anyways?" remarked Sam. Jadie narrowed her eyes at him, clearly saving their activity as something to be revealed later, and Sam instantly stopped talking.

Glancing down at her clipboard, Jadie waited a second before leading the boys out the door towards where the girls were already waiting in golf carts. Luke supposed he must have missed her instructions on this part of the day, but he knew she'd never let them drive if they weren't able to drive a car.

"Would you like to drive, Luke?" asked Jadie, surprisingly Luke to the extent that he tripped over his own feet and face planted on the unnaturally green grass that almost looked like turf. "Oh, not again. I'd hoped this wouldn't happen another time,"she sighed. Once he'd picked himself up, hoping that none of the girls had seen him, he looked at Jadie in complete bewilderment. "Someone else face planted?" questioned Luke.

She avoided the question, instead sliding into the passenger seat of the cart. Jadie motioned for him to hurry up and get in the driver's seat as he tried to process her avoidance of his sincere inquiry. However, Luke was still a little scared of Jadie, and keeping her happy was probably a good idea.

There was only one little problem with this whole setup. Little, that is, if you count the fact of Luke having no experience driving golf carts before in his life. How different from a riding lawnmower or a car could it be? He found the brake, put his hands on the steering wheel, and turned towards Jadie to see if they were ready to go yet. The curly-haired planner was still twisted behind her, watching the few stragglers pile into vehicles with no shortage of bickering about who would drive and who would sit with who.

"Alright, everyone, I hope you're all in! Let's go!" yelled Jadie, leaning out of the cart so she could get her already loud voice to reach the girls in the very back of the herd. When she leaned back inside, she gave Luke his first clues on what they were doing. "Go straight until I tell you to turn right," she said.

The golf car sputtered to a start as Luke put his foot on the pedal and began to move forwards. Did it run on a battery? With the palace's access to the top technology from across the globe, it was more likely that it was run by something more conservative. So far, their path was clear, but they'd be turning the corner pretty soon and reaching the forest that started after the large expanse of palace gardens ended. The only thing he could think off beyond that, though a bit more to the right, was an abandoned field.

A few carts behind them, Luke could hear the familiar voices of Katelin and Willow. Their conversation was quiet enough to be masked by the metronome-like sound of the golf cart's engine, but he could tell that they were talking about a TV show they'd been watching recently. The rearview mirror showed Willow laughing at a joke Katelin had just made.

"Right here, then just keep going until we get to the field that's right before the palace property line," instructed Jadie. Luke slowly made the turn, remembering his driving lessons and his instructor repeated telling him to slow down when he made a turn instead of speeding up. That would probably end up being a particularly disastrous thing to do when he was driving a doorless golf cart with a palace staff member seated next to him.

It was still a mystery destination that they were headed towards. If anyone else had connected the dots, Luke might have known by now, but it seemed like everyone else except Jadie was just as uncertain as he was. No one else had any outward characteristics of being curious, though, so it could have just been him who had been left in the dark.

This part of the palace grounds was often unused. The last time he could remember being out here was at the most recent birthday party for his mother. They hadn't had enough room in the garden, so they'd gotten the staff to put up pavilions and tents and wheel all of the food and decorations out on carts provided by the kitchens. That time, they'd all streamed out here in a royal procession with all of the guests following them in neat lines of columns, like a giant block of people.

Besides that, the activities that happened over here were rather limited. No one seemed to care very much about the space at all. It was like the palace only held onto it to make the whole estate appear just a bit bigger than it really was. Kind of like how cats would always puff out their fur during a fight to intimidate their opponent.

Jadie had been unusually silent so far, but Luke's mind was split between his thoughts and trying to drive in the right direction without crashing into a tree. Everyone else was following him, which was a little too much pressure for Luke to handle, and they'd end up crashing into the tree after him if he messed up like he usually did. Now that he thought about it, this was quite nerve-wracking, and he was beginning to wish that he'd been the one to keep an eye on Sam instead of Fitz. No sign of any stink bombs yet, so that was one good thing that'd happened.

Another swirling worry in Luke's mind was how unguarded this area of the palace grounds was. They hadn't brought any guards with them, and the guards that patrolled the walls wouldn't be much help if an attack happened over there. It was one of the most neglected areas of their patrol.

A noise, from what seemed to be coming from the direction in front of them, startled Luke and made him flinch. Was that a wild goose? It certainly sounded like it, but why would a wild goose start honking out something that sounded suspiciously like Careless Whisper? Luke's imagination must have been running away with him again. Geese weren't sentient creatures, and definitely weren't able to display any musical talent whatsoever. Soulless creatures like them only existed to kill humans when overpopulation occured.

"We're almost there. I'm sure they've heard us by now, but we'll go in a little slower, though I'm certain they've all warmed up and such. I checked in earlier and they were already starting. I do enjoy when things rooted in the military are able to continue the tradition of punctuality, especially at five in the morning!" remarked Jadie, apparently forgetting that he didn't know anything.

That didn't mean Luke hadn't swiftly eased back on his speed, however, as he wasn't exactly likely to disobey Jadie at any moment in time. Even if she happened to have gone a tad bit insane in the current moment. An activity rooted in the military? Warmed up? Five in the morning? For the sake of all of the selected, Luke dearly hoped that they weren't going to go watch the new guard trainees practice their patrolling and other guard-like skills. Jadie had only made him more confused on what was going to happen.

Barely five minutes had passed when the field finally came in few and Jadie signalled for him to begin slowing down. He could see moving people, holding shiny metal things, but they were still too far away for him to clearly see what they were doing. He knew he'd lost his chance when they suddenly all began to head into a nearby building that was usually a guard outpost.

Luke's golf cart sputtered to a half. Jadie, not waiting for him to even park it, stepped out of the vehicle and hurried over to where five figures were standing in a half-circle. It took a second or Luke to park the cart, and by then Jadie had already had a conversation with the five figures and was heading back to talk to the girls. "Everyone, park your carts in an orderly fashion and take a seat on the bleachers! Be patient. I suspect you'll have a little time to talk among yourselves, but do that in the bleachers, please, and not here," announced the neon-colored woman.

Surprisingly, Jadie motioned for him to join her. He carefully stepped out of the cart, careful not to fall on his face again, and obediently marched over to where she was waiting. The people that were still outside were a much more visible from here, and he was surprised to see that it was a group of three teenagers and two adults.

"Luke, I'd like you to meet our visitors. Mr. Ryders and Mr. Millen are the directors of the Stringfellow High School Marching Skunks, located in Northern Allens, and are here with the band to perform for yourself and the selected after winning a marching competition. They'll be flying back home tomorrow," explained Jadie, gesturing towards a blonde man with glasses and a slightly younger, taller man with brown hair and friendly eyes. "Um, hi," said Luke, shaking hands with both of them.

Jadie nodded approvingly. "I'm going to go make sure your brothers and the girls are situated in the stands, and the directors are going to go check the proceedings inside. You can stay here and talk to the drum majors until I get back. They'll have to leave eventually to change, but you four should have some time to talk,' she said.

Now Luke knew exactly what this was. Of course, Jadie had explained it, but all of the pieces had suddenly connected. This was a marching band! They needed the field for their show, which was why they'd come all the way out here. The activity came from a long tradition of band in the military. They must have been practicing here for a few days, since he'd read about the country's band competition online, and he remembered reading about the winning band flying somewhere for a special performance right after the event.

He realized that he'd been standing in awkward silence with the drum majors for a few seconds. The three high schoolers, two boys and a girl, looked like they were only year or two younger than Luke, the boys probably being seniors and the girl probably being a junior.

The girl spoke up first. "It's amazing to meet you, your highness," she said, nervously smiling at him. Luke had almost forgotten that this was what people usually did when he had to talk to them for the first time. "Oh, it's fine, just call me Luke," he replied, quickly glancing down at his shoes than back up at her again. Her dark blonde hair, almost brown with tinges of ginger and other colors, was pulled back in two french braids. The girl's gray eyes darted around the area, frequently glancing at the other drum majors, her hands fidgeting with her black t-shirt.

All three of them were actually wearing the same shirt. The taller boy had his sleeves tucked in, while the shorter was wearing his normally, both of them wearing black athletic shorts and the taller one wearing sunglasses that covered his eyes completely. If Luke hadn't been older than them, he'd probably have felt a weird sense of belonging among them.

"Nice to meet you, Luke. I'm Rory. That's Jonnend, and that's Cara, our youngest drum major," said the tallest out of the three, taking off his sunglasses to reveal a face that would have made most of the girls in the selection abandon the princes and run straight towards him. Cara didn't seem to notice this and just shot Rory a potent death glare. Jonnend started to comment on it, but quickly shut up when he saw Cara's laser eyes turning to him.

The curly-haired high schooler sent Cara a bashful grin as she rolled her eyes. Jonnend had tan skin, cinnamon colored hair, and for some reason had a bass clarinet neck strap on. Rory and Jonnend contrasted quite a bit, though they both had brown hair and the same age.

"Yes, I'm the youngest, but, as a sophomore who threatened to throw a shoe at a freshman football player during my fourth day of ninth grade, I'm more than ready to take you both down. Or I could just grab my instrument and follow you around during the weekends to make your life miserable," remarked Cara, sounding like this was the type of thing she did daily. The smiles of her fellow drum majors made Luke realize that some people were able to be a bit like Katelin without being violent and extremely scary.

It was surprising, to say the least, that Cara was only a sophomore. If he had to guess, he'd say that Jonnend was a junior and Rory a senior. The unspoken actions between the three showed that Cara was a little more dependent on the other two for guidance. Rory naturally seemed to be the oldest, and Jonnend wasn't quite there yet.

"Er, I'm sure you three have important things to do, so I'll just stop bothering you and, um, find the others," said Luke, feeling a bit self-conscious. Being around the drum majors was worse than being around both of his brothers at a public event. Plus, he'd kind of just realized that some of the girls were the same age as Jonnend and Rory. Nothing made a year's difference quite as important as being around high schoolers with a seniority complex did.

Jonnend looked at him curiously. "If you feel like it. I mean, we'll have to go soon, but I didn't think we were that scary. You're the prince of Illea, dude," shrugged the sixteen year old. Cara nodded in agreement. Rory merely tilted his head, as if he was thinking. Luke shifted from foot to foot as he felt the eyes of the three of them on him.

"Okay," said Luke, quietly, a bit confused on why they wouldn't want him to leave. He was the boring prince, the forgotten prince, the one who was left behind, the one who never mattered. Everyone would always choose Sam or Fitz over him. People outside of the palace weren't going to be any different from those inside, and given that everyone inside seemed to usually ignore his existence, outside people would probably end up doing the exact same thing that they did.

Cara's eyes focused on him, like he was a difficult piece of music she wasn't quite understanding, then gave him a tiny smile. "So, Luke, do you play an instrument?" she asked. "I play the Alto Saxophone during the school year, while Rory plays the French Horn and used to play the Mellophone during Marching band season,"

"And Jonnend plays every instrument known to man. Plus whatever he can create by mixing two of them together. Not to mention his weird habit of trying to play them at the same time," added Rory, grinning at Jonnend. He shrugged. "It was only once. With the Alto and the Tenor," replied Jonnend. Luke wondered why his parents had named him that, as he was a bit lost in the ongoing conversation about marching band things.

Rory suddenly turned around. Luke did as well, mentally counting out the chances of them leaving him alone and going to get dressed as he did so. A girl with curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail was running towards them in her uniform. Now the probability of his short conversation with the drum majors ending was even higher.

"Hey, Rory! Mr. Millen wants me to let you know that he'll be out in five minutes to tell you three to get changed. You don't have to come in yet," yelled the girl. Her feet slowed to a halt as she reached the edge of their little circle. "Luke, this is Delilah, my sister," said Rory, motioning towards the smiling girl standing besides him. "Um, hi," he replied nervously. Luke already felt like an outsider among the drum majors, and Delilah's arrival made him feel even worse.

These were drum majors. The best musicians in the band, better than all the other 150 kids that were participating in the activity. They had talents, skills, the ability to do things that helped the group advance in the quality of their show. Drum Majors were high schoolers, making them automatically younger than Luke, who was just mediocre as his only instrument.

Maybe he'd feel better if he'd tried to have a conversation with them. Since Delilah was already running back to the guard outpost the band kids were using as a changing room, Luke would be able to start one without being quite as awkward as he would have been with the tenth grader standing nearby. "How did you end up being invited to perform your show here in Angeles for us?" asked Luke, noticing that Cara was trying to close the circle again as she scooted in to make it smaller.

"We've only been to one competition so far, but we were invited to go to the Summer Nationals after we won. Apparently they didn't usually do those types of competitions this earlier back before Illea, but they do now, and we ended up doing really well at it. The palace flew us here, and the rest is history," Jonnend stuck his hands in his pockets as he talked.

Rory laughed. "Yep. We were all pretty shocked. Cara was especially stunned afterwards," Cara made a face at him, but her crossed arms couldn't disguise the amusement that was scrawled all across her pale face. As Luke tried to think up another good question to ask them, one of the band directions started walking towards them from the guard outpost. It seemed like Delilah's message had been inaccurate, though that probably wasn't her fault in the slightest. Mr. Millen had most likely decided to come out early.

"Rory, Jonnend, Cara! Time to get ready. Your highness, you're welcome to join the others in the stands," said the band director. The three drum majors hurried to get themselves ready to go to the nearby building, and they all said goodbye to Luke before they left. Now that he was truly alone, he figured that going to sit in the stands was the best course of action for him now.

Picking someone to sit next to was going to be hard. By the time Luke was at the stands, he still had no clue on who he'd be comfortable enough with to actually sit with them for the whole ten minute performance. He was sure any of the girls would be fine with it, but would they actually care? That was his main problem. Given that decision-making was hard, and he was running on less sleep than he'd like to admit, Luke took an open spot in a row that no one else was sitting in.

Many of the girls were happily sitting in groups, chatting about the upcoming performance. Fitz was surrounded by some of them. In his case, it was girls like Evangeline and Sophea mixed with girls like Albany and Atlantis, which wasn't going very well to Luke's observant eyes. Sam, on the other hand, was hard to pick out from the groups of girls because he kind of fit in.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Selected and Princes, welcome to the official palace performance of Stringfellow High School's Marching Skunks! Please be quiet during the performance, and set your cell phones on silent. It will begin in just a moment," said a voice from one of the nearby speakers, loud and squeaking, similar to nails on a chalkboard. Luke felt like covering his ears. He wasn't the only one, apparently, since a few of the selected were actually doing just that.

A moment in the corner of his eye startled him. The marching band was starting to appear, blocked up in neat rows that told everyone in a perfectly clear way why they'd won the competition to come here. It seemed like the three drum majors were already in uniform, too. Watching them march out in front of the field was quite impressive.

Soon enough, the band was all lined up behind the long line that had been spray-painted on the field. There was more than one of those, actually, the band having done what looked to be a lot of terrain painting earlier in the day, but this one was the farthest back. "This year's show is _Forest of the NIght_ , lead by drum majors Rory Denner, Jonnend Costello, and Cara Reeves. Drum majors, are you ready?" squawked the speakers. Rory, who was on the front platform, turned and saluted towards the stands.

The large block of marching band members slowly split off into smaller groups as they went to set up in their starting positions. Rory, glancing sideways to look at Cara and Jonnend before he started, brought his hands up to set position and prepared to start the show. All of the girls had finally stopped talking, anxiously awaiting the performance.

And then it began.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello! I'm excited that I finally was able to release this chapter, and I'm even more excited for what's coming next. We're finally going to start the Hawaii trip! Be prepared for a Fitz POV with a surprise twist on how the girls are going to start their traveling adventure.**

 **Also, on another note, we've officially passed the day of the year that the story is at right now. In RRGS, it's August 31st. I'm going to try to get caught up and possibly release chapters that kind of correspond with their RRGS dates if I can manage it. That said, everyone reading this probably knows how terrible I am at managing things, so don't be surprised if it takes me another month to get there.**

 **Don't forget to review! I love reading them, and, like I say every chapter, they increase my productivity by 200%.**


	52. At Last

**Prince Fitz's POV**

The shrill beeping of a cacophonous alarm began Fitz's day of spontaneously occurring events and rather hectic motion. Spiralling through his eardrums and into his brain, the sound was like an ominous war chant from some long-forgotten civilization, meant to be accompanied by the rhythm of leather-covered drums and possibly a ritual sacrifice. This in itself was fitting for how the day was certainly going to end up going. The travelling period, more than twenty four hours in actuality, would most likely end up with Sam dangling him over a flaming pyre.

He blinked his weary eyes open. Above him, the hazy form of his pewtery blue-gray canopy formed a blanket that seemed rather like the sky to him when his brain wasn't in it's optimal functioning state yet. Bedposts and blankets that were barely visible in his peripheral vision only added more depth to the landscape.

Those tired daydreams, of which he was already beginning to be bored of, were shattered when his alarm came shrieking back with a terrifying vengeance. Fitz's arm couldn't whack the off button fast enough. Though, in accordance to his usual morning routine, this meant he now was obliged to get his rear out of bed and make himself presentable. His morning alarm rule had kept him productive in the early hours of the day for longer than he could remember.

His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. His clock barely illuminated his nightstand, but it was a useful source of mental stability, currently telling him that he was right on schedule with his plan of the night before. 3:51 A.M. was the exact time that he'd written down in his agenda for his actual ascent from a sitting position.

Prince Fitz was accustomed to knowing exactly what he was doing, when he was doing it, so this whole experience of trusting Jadie to lead him and about fifty other people across the country and back without Fitz having any clue as to what the plan could be was quite frustrating, to say the least. Her early instructions for him to cease seeking information on what her decisions stemmed from were almost torture to him. A satisfactory example of this would be her command for them to wear civilian clothes on the plane.

Civilian clothes meant the type of attire that high schoolers or college students might wear on a daily basis. For Fitz, this meant khaki shorts and a polo shirt. For Sam, this meant ludicrously colored sneakers and a graphic t-shirt under some sort of abysmal jacket. Sam and Luke tried to don outfits like this as often as possible, but Fitz had never felt entirely safe in them.

As he tugged his freshly-washed shirt over his head, having made his way over to his dresser while he'd been pondering Jadie's plans for the day, he suddenly realized that this would be the last time he'd get to breathe in the wonderful clean-clothes smell of palace laundry until they returned from the trip. Four weeks was quite a long time. It still surprised him that Jadie had been willing to plan and go through with this whole bewildering endeavor.

Illea's oldest prince glanced over at his window as he shed his pajama bottoms and nimbly slipped into his wrinkle-free khaki shorts. Angeles still had three or so hours to go until they finally reached their unavoidable sunrise that washed over the city like a flood of brilliant watercolor paints, and they would all be at the airport by then.

The worries of the day swept over him while he sat down on his bed and tugged his socks on. How on earth was Jadie planning to transport the entirety of their rather sizable group to the airport without being discovered? How were they going to then proceed to all descend on a plane together and manage not to be recognized by any other passengers? There was no time like fifteen minutes before you had to be downstairs and ready to go to ponder how your life choices had all led up to this moment in time.

A sneaking suspicion made it's way into Fitz's mind. He paused, sitting up after tying the laces on his comfortable yet dressy sport loafers. His theories that occurred at times similar to this one had proved to be true in the past. In this particular instance, however, he had assuredly mixed feelings on what he thought Jadie was most likely going to do today.

It would be best to grab his suitcase and immediately travel down to find the neon-clothed coordinator. Fitz found himself standing in front of his full length mirror before he did so, staring at himself as his mind whirled around like a washing machine, brown eyes sharp and focused. He looked mostly presentable, though he thought his hair could use a good combing before he left. The unruly strands were sticking up in odd places in the manner that they usually did when he first woke up for the day.

Given that most of his necessities were already snuggly packed deep within the confines of his massive suitcase, or perhaps in his only slightly smaller carry-on backpack, or maybe even in the medium-sized carry on suitcase that he'd decided to bring after he realized how long the trip would truly be, he had to use his spare comb in his ensuite bathroom.

His watch read 3:59. A little off schedule, but nothing a hurried power walk couldn't easily solve. Fitz took a quick survey of his room to preserve it in his brain for the next four weeks before he hoisted his heavy backpack up onto his back. Grabbing his suitcases, visible by their royal blue color even in the near-darkness, the first triplet silently opened his door and stepped out into the hallway for what would be the last time that month.

Surprisingly, the hallway was deserted. The most likely reason was that Sam and Luke were taking a little longer to prepare themselves for the day. Knowing his brothers, at least one of the two of them was hastily shoving their entire closet into both of their suitcases and possibly their backpack.

Fitz set off down the hallway, careful to soften any noise he might make in consideration of his still-sleeping parents. Slight unavoidable creaking noises came from the two suitcases as he wheeled them down the carpeted corridor. The main lights were off, only being used in the dark hours of the night that were considered acceptable for palace staff to be awake and moving during, but his eyes were adjusted enough to the darkness from the eight minutes he'd spent in his room getting dressed and ready.

Carrying the bags down the stairs was tricky, though he managed it with the same speed he walked down the hallway with. The sounds of Jadie and what sounded like a good third of the girls were already filtering towards his ears from the departure room on the ground floor. That was troubling, since his room was on the third.

The most reasonable explanation for the noise was that this particular staircase passed through the second floor and then continued onto the ground floor of the palace. However, he wouldn't put it past the rather excitable girls to be a tad too enthused about the trip. Any of them that were already accompanying Jadie during the wait in the departure room were the few that weren't sleep-deprived and in desperate need of the miraculous liquid known as coffee. Cognigating about caffeine made Fitz have the slight urge to find some and down it as fast as he could.

"Fitz! You're here! Come try the scones, they're totally awesome," exclaimed Aurelia, spotting him when he was halfway between the second floor and the first. Unlike their European allies, Illea was in the habit of calling the ground floor the first floor and using the two terms interchangeably. The blonde-haired girl appeared much too awake for this time of the morning.

In addition to Aurelia, and around ten other girls, a long white table with heaps of breakfast foods and coffee makers had been set up in a corner of the room. Jadie had made the intelligent decision of standing right next to where the caffeine was to grab anyone in need of the liquid so she could lecture or inform them on whatever was coming up for the day. With his recent caffeine craving, and the tantalizing prospect of deciphering the day's schedule, Fitz made a beeline for the vivacious highlighter yellow woman across the room.

Jadie smiled as she saw him approaching. Her makeup barely removed the signs of the dark bags beneath her calculating eyes. "Ah, Fitz, I'm glad you're here. You can put your non-carry on bag over there in the clump with the ones belonging to these girls. You're also welcome to anything on the table," she said, gesturing at at contingent of suitcases in an abandoned corner.

Something in her face made Fitz suspicious of her for a brief second. There was a secret, a mystery, an important detail that Jadie wasn't telling him. He would deduce whatever it was eventually. Patience was the key to finding out anything, as Fitz very well knew, and he was positive that the upcoming four weeks would give him plenty of time to interrogate Jadie on this new development. In the meantime, however, he'd best be going to store his suitcases with the others and commandeer a mug of caffeine.

Fitz performed a quick inventory of the selected already present as he wheeled his non-carry on suitcase over to the grandiose pile in the corner. He had been correct in his initial assumption of estimating the number of girls in the room. There were a total of ten assembled here so far. More were probably on their way down at that very moment.

"Good morning, Fitz," said an easily recognizable voice from directly behind him. Illonie, outfitted in a denim jacket and leggings, held out a steaming hot cup of coffee to him with a slightly tired yet still excited smile. "This is for you, by the way. I thought you seemed like you could use some," she remarked. Fitz graciously took the cup and gave her a smile of his own. It was nice to see Illonie, as she'd always been one for positive emotions without completely overdoing them like some notable others did.

After taking a sip, he decided to initiate conversation. "Are you excited for our day of traveling? While I'm afraid it will be rather long, I'm sure it will end up being quite enjoyable," replied Illea's eldest prince. Illonie nodded, eyes bright and tinged with a hint of sleep.

"Not for the traveling, of course, but I'm certainly ready to be on the Islands. This is my first time traveling with my friends. I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity of doing that, even with Jadie's mysterious announcement earlier about us having randomly assigned seats on the plane!" she responded. Fitz must have made a face of confusion, since Illonie momentarily frowned. "It must have been before you arrived. She told the first few of us down here that we'd still get to decide on our seats for the longer flight without any context,"

He nodded in reply. "I'll go ask her myself, then. I hope we'll be able to find an opportunity to converse more later," said Fitz, "Oh, and thank you for the coffee. It's much appreciated," Illonie smiled at him once more before hurrying off to find Kinsey and Jessica. Fitz began to head towards Jadie, who'd remained in her earlier position.

Jadie immediately seemed to notice that he was seeking information on the first leg of the traveling period. "I'm sorry, Fitz, but you'll have to wait for the rest of the girls to arrive before I announce what we're doing for the first part of the trip. It's all for safety, of course, and the second part will still be the long, rather fun flight that everyone had originally known about. We're still going to Labrador, though. Only the way we'll get there unnoticed has actually ended up changing in any way." she told him, a slight frown appearing on her face.

"Very well. If you need my assistance, I'll be conversing with the members of the selected," responded Fitz. Jadie visibly relaxed, although the rather tense stance she maintained throughout the remainder of her person revealed her continuing paranoia about this discussion.

Rather than seeking out Illonie, Fitz elected to adhere himself to another nearby collection of selection participants. Jessica, Aurelia, Scarlet, and Cila appeared to be in the midst of a games of sorts, which must have been enjoyable enough to bring Jessica and Aurelia to the inseparable pair of Scarlet and Cila. He proceeded to hover on the outskirts for a moment before a space opened up for him in their little circle. While none of them were opposed to his presence, they seemed unsure of whether he ever performed any fun activity.

Jessica was the first to pause and explain their game to him. "Hi, Fitz. We're going around and stating random facts for fun, want to join us?" inquired the blonde girl, the three others enthusiastically nodding in agreement to her statement.

This was rather exciting. Games like this were ones that nearly always led to the acquiring of new trivia, even amongst the uneducated, and he was quite surprised that they would be playing this instead of truth or dare and games of that caliber. However, he noticed that Jadie was waving him back over to the table. Why wouldn't that woman ever cease her incessant pestering? His only comfort in that area was that Jadie was a much less vexing person than Sam always had to be.

"My apologies, but it seems like I'm needed elsewhere at the moment," said Fitz, noticing immediately that the girls were slightly disappointed yet not dramatically affected by his absence. He strode back over to Jadie with a hint of frustration in his steps and waited patiently for her to explain why she'd brought him back over here when he was otherwise occupied.

Dark brown eyes levelly met his own lighter brown ones. "I've just sent a maid up to collect the remaining girls. They should be here shortly, along with your brothers, so I'd recommend that you stay here with me so I can elaborate on the plan once I'm able to announce it to the entire room. I would have liked to tell you earlier, but you never know who might be listening, and we didn't have any room for changes. The others shouldn't take very long to arrive," commented the stern and intimidating woman.

While he was pleased to see that he would be attaining more details in a relatively short amount of time, Fitz was a bit concerned that Jadie didn't understand how truly difficult it was to motivate over thirty people to move somewhere in the early hours of the morning when the sun still had four hours until it rose over the skyline of downtown Angeles.

A few girls, all looking groggy and quite like stumbling zombies, entered the room shortly after Jadie had told him her plans. Fitz presumed that these girls were the ones who preferred to be early and weren't yet morning people. It was much too soon for them to be byproducts of Jadie's call to arms, of course, so the most reasonable assumption that he could make was that they had already been on their way when they'd passed by the maid who had informed them of the recent developments in the early morning proceedings.

Fitz turned towards the neon-clad organization enthusiast. "If you don't mind my inquiry, does this plan have anything at all to do with yesterday's recreational activity?" he asked, testing a theory he'd recently developed. Recently as in it had encroached upon his mind a mere five seconds before he had consciously decided to voice the question aloud to Jadie.

To his astonishment, the corners of her mouth turned up in a slight smile. It became clear that while she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of hearing her confirm this, she was going to silently express her delight at his skills in deductive reasoning. The most recent time he'd seen her wear this expression had been some weeks ago. It had been directed towards Luke, as a matter of fact, leading Fitz to the very obvious conclusion that Sam was the only triplet Jadie didn't have a soft spot for in her lime green and violet heart.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information at the present, but I can concur that it definitely has nothing to do with this convenient stack of folders right here," replied Jadie, her eyes still smiling while her mouth struggled to keep from turning up into a wide smirk.

Cleverly worded sarcasm was quite enjoyable to hear when it came from Jadie herself. Although she was being the sufficient amount of careful in assuring that the folders weren't able to explain anything to him, she had let him know exactly what would be coming once the girls congregated in the room at last. This was an opportune time for FItz to retreat to another corner of the room. He had found out what he needed to know, and he was a rather patient person who was capable of waiting two minutes for additional knowledge.

Illea's oldest prince strode over to a quiet area of the room, all whilst contemplating how mundane the morning had been so far. He supposed that the excitement would be resuming soon enough. The energy of all forty two girls and the three princes, including Sam, would be more than enough to revive the spirits of anyone present.

At that moment, like water surging through an ill-constructed dam, the room suddenly became host to that exact energy Fitz had just been thinking about. Sam was, of course, at the front of it all, leading the tired girls with the excitement of a young soldier in his first battle. His adrenaline was already starting to pass around the room and wake up anyone who hadn't had their morning coffee yet. Stepping in as soon as Sam had entered the room, Jadie set to commanding the girls to put their suitcases down and swiftly get breakfast before she began.

"Is everyone here? Yes? Good. Get yourselves some scones and muffins, along with a nice cup of caffeine, and then i'll dive into the plan for today. I'll need your full attention when I do! It's going to be quite complicating, and while require just the tiniest bit of acting, so anyone who talks during my explanation will be sent to sit with me later," announced the planner.

Thirty girls simultaneously attacked the breakfast table. In the corner behind them, Fitz could see the edge of the massive pile of suitcases that had swelled in size when the girls all entered the room. "Fitz. Can I sit here?" asked Luke, causing Fitz to nimbly pivot around to see his brother plopped down on the tile floor with his back against the wall nearby. He nodded, but remained standing, as the ratio of those seated and those on their feet was currently even at that moment in time.

Jadie cleared her throat, then began the rather lengthy speech on how the day would play out. "As many of you are aware, travelling in Illea is dangerous. Especially so when you're with three of the princes and are part of a palace-based competition with direct ties to everything the rebels stand against,"

"It's obvious that we can't just announce our trip and fly straight to Hawaii from here. We'd be gunned down by the rebels before we were even over the pacific, and if not, they'd be waiting for us when we reached the island. That left us with a difficult predicament. How were we going to be able to proceed with the Hawaii trip if we had no safe way to transport all of you there? The answer came from the news I received about the possibility of a winning marching band performing a special show at the palace for the members of the selection and the princes,"

"That, girls, is the plan. We're going to blend in with the Stringfellow High School Marching Skunks. We organized to fly them out here, then decided on using a longer route for the purposes of your safety. Like I've said previously, we're going to fly to Labrador, drive five hours away to the Hansport airport, then board a commercial plane that would be similar to the first one but with all of us as the only occupants. We have another problem, however,"

"Last week, I received word from a safe source inside the rebels that they had plans to station patrols at airports all over the country to catch us. The information about us going to Hawaii hasn't leaked, but we found a mole that had revealed to them months beforehand that we were going on a trip. Flying across the country and then driving to another airport wouldn't work. That's where the acting comes in. From now, 4:30 A.M, to 11:00 P.M. tonight, you'll be members of a marching band. To avoid suspicion, you have to act and think like band kids to not get caught by the rebel patrols. I'd do something smarter, if it were up to me, but this was suggested by another advisor and King Maxon approved it. The high schoolers have been given specific instructions to make sure you all blend in. In these folders, I've included your seat numbers and sections, along with the plane tickets, ID cards, and other various licenses you'll need for this,"

Jadie took a deep breath before surveying the room. "Now, any questions?" she inquired, acting as if this was all perfectly normal. The girls were as silent as they could have possibly been in that moment. Fitz wasn't even positive that they were still breathing.

"Good. Now, come get your folders, and start assuming your new identities for the day!" said the rather exhausted woman. Jadie appeared to disapprove of the plan, meaning that she hadn't come up with it herself, and Fitz quite agreed with her. This was utterly ridiculous, but he had no choice in the matter. There were infinite ways this could all go wrong throughout the course of the day. The advisor responsible for dreaming up this lunacy, this dress-up game, would have to answer to a slightly vexed prince of Illea four weeks from now.

Chaos followed the planner's words as soon as she'd closed her mouth. Every single one of the girls made a beeline for the stack of folders that were sitting next to Jadie, only to find that she was making them form an organized line. Fitz casually strode over to the very back of it and prepared to wait his turn, per usual.

The line was already proving to be rather slow, and Fitz decoded to make the best of this possibly tiresome predicament. "This is totally stupid. But, fun stupid!" exclaimed Aurelia, standing a few places up in line with Alette and Dakota. Her companions both nodded their heads in agreement. "Yeah. It's kind of cool, though I don't know why this is really all necessary. The rebels aren't that much of a threat to us," remarked Dakota. Fitz could see her icy blue eyes occasionally flickering forwards in the line every few seconds.

Dakota's comment caused Sam to turn around. He'd been chatting with a few of the other members of the assembled group of ladies, and Sam proved to be true to form in his usual practice of butting into conversations that he wasn't originally a part of. "Better to be safe, right? Plus, we get to hang with the band kids for the morning," grinned his brother.

They all moved up as Sam officially joined the conversation. Fitz, still watching from behind them, made sure to raise an eyebrow in Sam's direction when the youngest of the triplets was turned towards him. Sam gave him a shrug and a nonchalant smirk in reply. "And we get to have secret identities," added Alette, coolly, as if this wasn't as exciting as the other girls seemed to think this entire ludicrous plan was.

"Not to mention the fact that we also have to pretend to know all of that band stuff, though I don't think it'll be hard to learn at all," said Dakota. Fitz refrained from shaking his head, but his natural instincts were to correct misinformed citizens, and he could assert that anything in the sphere of marching band would not be simple at all.

Exasperated, Fitz turned his attention to a group of girls that were huddled near the far wall, having been in the very front of the line and the first ones to receive their folders. It seemed to him like they were paying more attention to their licenses than to the more important guidelines on how to act. Looking at the schedule might have been beneficial, too, for that matter. Fitz was quite eager to get this hands on it once the twenty three humans in front of him had received their own folders.

A sudden wave of weariness swept over him. The day been slightly boring so far, along with it being much too early in the morning for his liking. Fitz took a sip of the miraculously piping hot coffee that he had been holding in his hand. The bitterness and heat didn't take long to hit his stomach with a wave of warmth.

Given that Jadie was efficient at folder distribution, it wasn't much longer until he was nearly at the front of the line. The few stragglers behind him were gazing longingly at the clumps of girls gathered around the room. Fitz was using the time to attempt a peek at the folders of those in front of him. Jadie was thwarting these efforts, shooing away the girls as soon as their folders were in their hands, which was frustrating to the eldest of the three triplets. His patience was finally abandoning him.

At long last, he was at the front of the line. "Here you are, Fitz," said Jadie, clearly relieved to almost be at the end of the line. Fitz gratefully thanked her before moving away to investigate the contents of this mysterious paper product.

He opened the glossy folder. Starting with the left pocket, Fitz removed the most important document first and began to read it. According to the summary section at the very top, his name for the day was to be Fitz Smith. His age was to be seventeen. Underneath the basic information, it included a more in-depth summary on what his identity was supposed to function as. Fitz had previously noticed many of the girls reading these aloud to each other.

"Everyone,quiet, please! It's time to head to the tunnels for transport to our next destination. I want everyone to group themselves by section so we don't have that much trouble getting into them at the airport. If your folder tells you that you're a flute, find the other girls who're flutes. Same thing with all the others," yelled Jadie, loud enough to be heard above the chatter.

A flurry of motion followed her ear-bursting attempt to be heard over the energetic pack of girls. Cursing his decision to refrain from inspecting the entirety of his folder, Fitz flipped it open and narrowed his eyes in sharp concentration, with a slight hint of irritation mixed in for good measure. He spotted it immediately, farther down from the summary section on the first page in the left pocket, rather obvious and painfully hard to miss. He would blame the earliness of the morning for that particular mishap.

"A Piccolo?" read Fitz, the corners of his mouth reverting up to their neutral frown. This was an unusual development. Smiling, Fitz drew out another paper from the stuffed folder to deduce who else had been assigned to this instrument, and set off to prepare for their departure.

* * *

 **Author's Note: It's finally starting! The Hawaii Trip is here! We've all been waiting five months for this, so I've been mentally kicking myself for taking so long, but no more excuses. I know this chapter had a really slow start. I know that it was much too boring for something that took four weeks to write. I know that it's all my fault. However, I'm just going to keep moving forwards, and try not to let myself drown under mountains of homework and extracurricular activities.**

 **I'd like to take a second to say thank you to everyone who has patiently waited for this. Every single one of you, as I've repeated time and time again, is an inspiration and a source of joy to me. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and just caring about this at all!**

 **Don't forget to review, and I'll be back with the next chapter in what's a hopefully shorter time!**


	53. Underground

Prince Sam's POV

Excitement roared through Sam's veins. Sure, it sounded pretentious to say something like that, but Sam really felt like he was hyped up on adrenaline. He could run a marathon. He could wrestle an alligator. Heck, he could even pretend to be a member of the cult known as marching band for a day.

From the chatter of the girls near him, Sam knew that he definitely wasn't alone. Grinning faces were lit by golden-toned ceiling lights in the early-morning darkness of the palace. The marble floors seemed just a bit brighter, the cream wallpapered walls more colorful than usual, the entire hallway filled with the buzz of energy from the girls who were like shining stars in the middle hours just before dawn. Sam winced at his own thoughts. He was really starting to sound like Fitz, wasn't he?

Sam snuck a glance to his left to try to spot his eldest brother. Sir I'm-Better-Than-Thou was near the front of the group, a few steps behind Jadie, sipping a cup of coffee as he walked behind the blur of color that was way too bright for this early in the morning. Illea's youngest prince rolled his eyes at Fitz's stuck-up attitude.

Another face caught his eye mid-roll. Mae Fleur. Sam smiled when he thought about how funny and totally embarrassing their first outing had been, and when he thought about his tiny problem with that tree in the gardens. He hadn't talked to her in nearly a week, come to think of it, and this would be a good time to use some of his unfailing charm on the green-eyed six that looked like she'd stepped out of the pages of a fairytale storybook to find herself in the real world.

"Morning, Milady! Ready to hit the road? Though the tunnels might be a better word to use. Or the air," grinned Sam, merging though the space-dout group so he could stand directly next to Mae. He got a small smile in return. A passing window cast a shadow onto Mae's face, contrasting the golden glow of the palace lights, doing nothing to hide her tiny grin.

She adjusted her floral backpack with her free hand before answering him. "I suppose so. It's too early for me to process," Mae quietly replied, eyes darting around the hallway. Sam didn't like the moment of awkward silence that followed. There were other conversations going on between the other girls, sure, but the palace-provided carry on suitcases were really loud and managing them at the same time as the also palace provided backpacks was kind of hard to do if you weren't a freaking octopus.

Since he needed to break the awkward silence, Sam let out a loud yawn. His eyelids drooped for a second before his insane energy came back to him. That was better. Now he only needed his stomach to stop making embarrassing gurgling noises and he'd be great. He'd thought that three donuts would have been enough for his stomach, but no. It was difficult like that.

His stomach quieted down for a second, and he took his chance. "I don't know what Jadie was thinking, making us wake up before dawn. Is she like, a vampire, or something? I don't think I've ever seen her eat. Maybe she's really an undead monster, coming to feed on the blood of innocents!" Sam curled his hands into claws and made his best vampire face, trying to mimic a creepy walk he'd seen in some cartoon last October. He looked ridiculous enough that Mae let out a tiny giggle.

"Watch out, or else you'll end up being her lunch!" he laughed. Lunging towards Mae, making an even sillier facial expression, Sam could barely keep himself moving from the urge to double over with some high quality giggles. Even Mae couldn't hide the smile that had miraculously stayed on her rather pretty face.

The color of Mae's eyes reminded Sam of Summer evenings, when the sun would stay out past dinner and fireflies would flicker around the garden in the twilight hours before night fell. Her eyes were bottle glass, emeralds, leaves in Spring. They darted around, never staying on one thing for too long, almost dancing to a tune that only Mae could hear. If Sam only had to say one thing about Mae, it would be that her eyes held the whole wide world inside them. Not like that was super cheesy and cliche, or something.

Footsteps stopped Sam from awkwardly staring at Mae's eyes like a creep. Willow had just walked up, Katelin and Elizabeth not far behind her, a smirk on her tan face. "I think it's too earlier to be making heart eyes at each other, you two, might want to wait until we're actually on the plane to do that," she said, making Mae blush and quickly shake her head.

If that was how Willow wanted to play it, fine. Sam returned her half-smile with one of his own. "Nah. I'm sure the bathroom will have already have been taken. Better than an empty hallway, though, I'll give you that," remarked Sam. Willow blinked in surprise, and he noticed her almost invisible look back at Katelin. Something distracted Sam before he could observe anything else that went between the girls. Mae had hurried to catch up with a group ahead of them, probably embarrassed, which meant Sam needed to find someone else to bother.

"Hey, Kinsey!" said Sam, spotting the red-haired six and crossing the few feet that were between them. She was one of the few girls he'd seen that actually looked awake. It was probably because she was used to waking up early to get on planes, being a flight attendant, and he wondered if this felt like work to her.

"Hello, Sam," replied Kinsey. She definitely seemed like she was used to this, at least. Maybe he could ask her about it in preparation, or just to make her feel more included, since he hadn't talked to her in some time. Sam kind of tended to forget that the selection was a competition to win their hearts most of the time. "So, you ready for the trip?" asked Sam, running a hand through his hair in the way he always did when something similar to nerves tried to get into his system.

Kinsey nodded. "Yes, I think I am, though I'm not used to doing this. I don't get to travel outside my job very often," commented the six. Sam suddenly noticed that they were almost at the departure room, and it would probably be a good time to burst through the crowd and get to the front to guarantee a good tunnel transport seat.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" announced Sam, his carry-on suitcase starting to sound like a really annoyed tiger as it rolled behind him through the crowd. He only paused to wave at Pandora, who grinned and waved back at him. The only downside of being at the front of the line was Fitz and Jadie, but Maizie was also up there, so it couldn't be all that bad. Smiling, the spirited acrobat moved to walk next to him as Jadie prepared to make an announcement to their entire caravan.

Jadie cleared her throat. "Everyone! We're at the entrance to the tunnels, I'll be sending Fitz in first to lead the way and I'll take the back. Don't bother getting in groups, it doesn't matter who you sit with, it's only a fifteen minute ride. I'll talk to you all when we reach the tunnel exit,"

Shoot. This meant he'd have to ride with Fitz through the tunnels, didn't it? Jadie stayed and waited besides the closet door as Fitz began to lead them down the narrow staircase that smelled like dust and stone. The thin metal railing was covered in rust that definitely hadn't been there a week ago, and Sam chose to wing it rather than get poisoned from the suspicious orange… stuff. With Fitz, Atlantis, and Maizie in front of him, and the rest of the group behind him, Sam tried not to trip and die in the darkness.

Jadie's voice could be heard at the top of the stairs, telling everyone behind them what to do, but it sounded muffled. It took a few steps to clear the short stone hallway that lead into the chamber that held the row of transports that were lined up neatly on the tracks. The dim, flickering light bulb that swayed above them made it seem like a horror movie set.

"Sam, you and these two girls will accompany me in the first transport. The remainder of the congregated selection participants can evenly divide yourselves into the transports following us. Jadie will proceed to activate them once everyone is safely inside the vehicles. They'll all move at once, of course, so I hope no one attempts to disrupt her carefully organized method of travel. And don't try to leave a vehicle with a group of three so you can join your compatriotes, please," instructed the eldest of the triplets. Sam snorted and received a glare from Fitz.

Maizie grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the transport in the front of the line. Her freckled face was lit up with a tired smile. "Come on, slowpoke, let's get in there before Atlantis and your brother do. We'll be able to make sure they don't put their suitcases on our seats and make us sit on the floor if we get there first!" she exclaimed.

The two of them clambered into the transport. It took Sam a second to pull his rolling suitcase up, but he managed, and sat down with a groan besides Maizie. While it was already a little tight on space, Sam was able to move his suitcase closer to his feet to make room for when the others eventually made it in, and was also able to silently thank whatever higher power there was for letting them leave their larger suitcases for the actual cars to move.

"They really could have done more to make sure we weren't so cramped. I mean, we had to pack four weeks of clothes and entertainment in two suitcases and a backpack! And our carry-on bags aren't even that big!" complained Maizie, having every right to do so because of how uncomfortable she must have been balancing her bags on her lap.

A sound outside the vehicle made Sam poke his head out the small door. Almost all the others had disappeared inside the other waiting transports, Fitz and Atlantis being the only ones besides Jadie to not be inside one yet. He saw Jadie do a last check on her clipboard before gesturing to Fitz and striding off towards the end of the line, her high-heels clacking against the rough stone floor of the platform. Sam quickly brought his head back inside before Fitz or Atlantis could see him watching them.

Maizie raised a ginger eyebrow at him, but said nothing as the eldest prince of Illea gracefully climbed inside the transport. Sam had no idea how his brother could do it and still manage to look dignified. He was pretty sure that he'd looked like a distressed chimpanzee when he'd tried to get inside the metal thing with his suitcase behind him.

"We'll be departing in just a moment," remarked Fitz, allowing Atlantis to take her seat before he made himself comfortable. Atlantis made more of an effort than Fitz did to try to keep her bags from overflowing onto Sam and Maizie. As usual, Fitz had taken the foremost seat in the transport, peering out the window behind him. It didn't matter that they were literally sitting on two benches up against either wall. Fitz always had the need to be first, being the eldest prince and most stuck-up out of the three of them.

An awkward silence filled the transport as they waited to set off. Sam ran his hand through his hair again, tempted to poke his head back out of the door but worried that Jadie would immediately start the transports and he'd get his head chopped off by the sliding metal opening.

It took almost two more minutes of weirdness until a jolt came through the vehicle. Finally, when Sam was just about ready to jump through the roof. He twisted around to check the small window behind him, but it was way too dark to see anything outside of their little vehicle. A strange pulse of light caught his attention. Shiny, flashy things were definitely potent ways of distracting Illea's youngest prince. Unfortunately, that meant he was looking directly at the window when it shattered.

"We're all going to die!" yelped Sam, a storm of glass falling down on him. Rather than doing the smart thing and getting down, Sam did the stupidest thing possible: he stuck his head right out the window of the still-moving transport.

Thankfully, Maizie was there. "Sam! What're you doing? You're going to fall out the window!" exclaimed the fiery girl. Sam reluctantly let himself be pulled back into the car. Fitz had a solemn expression on his face, like it was a funeral or something, and Atlantis just seemed to be a little worried. Maizie was trying to keep from laughing at him. Confused, Sam looked to the most reliable person in the transport for answers to what exactly had just happened.

"The glass had hairline fractures in it when we boarded earlier. You shifted your suitcase to lean directly on the focal points, causing it to shatter," replied Atlantis. Sam nodded. Fitz, slightly annoyed by his obvious decision of asking Atlantis the question, made a face that confirmed the scholar's answer.

While it wasn't a rebel attack, it was enough to keep them occupied for the remaining five minutes of their trip to the airport via tunnel. The glass shards had ended up inside the car, making it hard to move without the danger of getting cut open by one, so the four of them immediately got to the task of trying to find where these shards were so they could happily avoid them. Sam was terrible at that. By the time they were slowing down to get ready to disembark, his hands were covered in tiny cuts from the glass that had managed to work it's way under his palms.

It wasn't long before the transport had slowed to a complete stop. Not wanting to stick around and be lectured by his brother, Sam grabbed his suitcase and slid out the door as quickly as he possibly could. A second later, Maizie followed him.

Evangeline came running over to him as soon as he was out of the transport, gasping when she saw the blood on his hands. "Sam! Oh, are you alright? Did those terrible rebels attack again?" gushed the six, thick eyelashes fluttering. Sam wiped the blood on the inside of his shirt and drew himself up. "No, I'm fine. Just a shattered window. No big deal," he replied, attempting to stay cool and collected. Evangeline strutted over to him. If he'd been focusing on Maizie, now forgotten behind him, he would have seen the nasty look she was shooting the girl.

Her large, doe-like eyes met his. "You're so brave! I don't know what I would have done if I window shattered on me! Those transports are quite unsafe, I don't understand why they didn't ferry us to the airport in cars or just sent a private jet to the palace," said Evangeline. Maizie quietly snorted.

At that moment, Jadie came rushing over, leading the rest of the group to a door in the tunnel wall not far from Sam and Evangeline. "Come on, everyone! Grab your stuff! Fitz, lead the way up into the bathroom," she instructed, not bothering to look up from her clipboard. Fitz nodded, then opened the door and disappeared up the narrow stairs that went farther up than Sam could see. Not wanting to be left behind, Sam grabbed Evangeline's manicured hand and confidently walked over to the door.

The staircase was dark, a distant light coming from the very top, and didn't seem to be in the best shape. Sam kept a firm grip on Evangeline's hand so she wouldn't topple back down the stairs. Those wedges looked pretty difficult to walk in, and climbing stairs was probably a nightmare in them.

"Thank you, Sam," said Evangeline, smiling at him in the dim light that was growing steadily brighter as they neared the top of the long flight of stairs. "No problem," he remarked. As they stepped out of the sloping tunnel that the stairs were contained, and into an empty public bathroom, Sam didn't remove his hand from hers. After noticing that they'd walked out of what had been disguised as a section of tiled wall, Sam led Evangeline out of the bathroom and into the bustling airport.

Jadie, who had made her way past them by now, was standing in front of them with a slightly scary smile on her face. Behind her, an army of high schoolers in small groups looked curiously at the emerging girls and princes. Their adult instructors stood directly next to Jadie.

"Okay, everyone, find your sections and introduce yourself! Just first names, please, as last names were… changed. Get to know your section and try to blend in. Respect your section leaders and drill instructors, even if they're younger than you, as a lot of you are pretending to be younger than you really are. I'd like everyone disguised as a freshman to come forwards first, though. Don't be shy! Come on, girls, don't take forever," announced Jadie, talking just to the selected and the princes.

A few of the girls disentangled themselves from the group and made their way over to Jadie. They were the shortest, the ones who could pass off as fourteen-year olds without much difficulty. Lark, Maizie, Chiara, Elizabeth, Cila, Maisynn, Kira, Jillian, Adalacia and Aurelia all walked over to the sections, which Sam now realized were holding small signs.

"Sophomores!" called Jadie, another wave of girls going to stand near her and then disperse into the crowd of high schoolers. Illonie, Kinsey, Alette, Lisbeth, Jessica, Gloria, Sophea, Avriella, Alexis, and Elia did the same thing that the first wave of girls did. He noticed that Jessica and Lisbeth both ended up in the same group, the percussionists, but were quickly separated within the section. That was probably the divide between front ensemble and the marching drums. Lisbeth went with the first, and Jessica with the second.

Flavia, Averian, Scarlet, Sophea, Ianthe, Alette, Willow, Katelin, Ashla, and Abrielle were all summoned by Jadie for the next group. Scarlet looked the happiest out of all of them, probably because she'd been put in the grade that she would have actually been in if she wasn't a stagehand and a six.

Isa, Pandora, Albany, Taylor, Cosette, and the remainder of the girls were lucky enough to be seniors, along with Sam and his brothers. Thank goodness for that. Sam was half convinced he'd end up with the freshmen as a cruel joke. The triplets were eighteen, after all, only a year or so older than the real seniors that were probably section leaders or something fancy like that. Sam's section, the Bass Clarinets, was a little too easy to find, but for someone who had a sense of humor, it looked like this day was going to be completely awesome.

 **Author's Note: Look! I didn't spend three weeks writing, it's a miracle!**

 **The trip is taking a little bit of time to start, but I promise you'll see more new characters in the next chapter, and that the next rotation (A set that has a POV for each prince) should be a little easier to write. Nevertheless, I hope everyone still enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review so I know what your opinions are on the story!**


	54. Hiding in Plain Sight

Prince Luke's POV

Seven pairs of eyes were staring at Luke. Curiosity, like candle flames in the dead of night, sparkled inside the browns and hazels of the unwavering stares. They were uncertain, questioning, filled with tension on whether to accept him into their midst or not.

It was understandable, of course. They'd spent hours upon hours of time with each other. The mellophones only just met Luke, a stranger, one of the princes, someone they were supposed to turn into one of them in less than five minutes. The selection had been hard enough so far. Adjusting to seven people who were from entirely different backgrounds and might hate him would be a complete nightmare. Luke wished that he'd ended up in a section with one of the girls, but his luck had run out, and he was alone.

Then something strange happened. A lightbulb lit up in Luke's mind. It seemed to light up in the mind of one of the seven too, a hint of surprise flashing across the face of one of the previously grumpy-looking boys. Slowly, in an almost sloth-like manner, the other boy smiled.

" _Luke, I've approved your communication request with this online friend of yours. You're now allowed to video chat and whatever else with this person. I don't understand why this was necessary, you've been in contact with them for months, but thank you for checking with me," said Jadie, her teal blouse and raspberry skirt muted in the memory. It was like fog had descended upon the moment, making the small details harder and harder to remember. Jadie's smile seemed fuzzy and slightly off._

 _The Luke of five months ago nodded. "Thank you, Jadie. Don't worry. Brent is safe, he's trustworthy," he replied. Crisply, in a way that the Jadie of the present seemed to have adapted and changed, she inclined her head in a placated yet suspicious gesture._

 _She left the room, the sound of her high heels on the floor gone entirely because he'd been too focused on his computer to notice their sound. A window popped up. Clicking the video camera icon on the corner of the website, typing in a quick message to his far-away friend before he did so, a black loading screen popped up. Then, as Luke held his breath in eagerness to see the online friend he'd known for at least five years without letting Jadie know, an image from across Illea appeared on the high-resolution desktop monitor…_

"Luke! ****, it really is you," said Brent Hang, section leader, senior, Mellophone player, online friend of Luke for half a decade, and one of the few people who actually treated Luke like a normal non-royal human being. He noticed the confused looks on the six other faces before him, but Brent saw them first, and let out a short burst of laughter.

The mellophones looked towards their leader. "I take it that you didn't realize that my friend Luke was actually one of the princes. Just blame that scary planner lady. Anyways, he's chill, but you all certainly aren't when you're gawking at him like that. Ronnie, you look like you just turned into a fish. Shut your mouth. I should probably introduce everyone," announced Brent, their little section of the bustling terminal an island of stillness amidst all of the hectic movement of the other travelers.

"Yes. That, um, would be nice. I'm Luke, but you already knew that. Er. I'm sorry for tagging along with your section," managed Luke, tripping over his words like he often tripped over his feet in the hallways of the palace. A barely perceivable shift in the body language of the six others let Luke know that they were somehow warming up to him already.

A tall, skinny boy of mixed race Asian descent, possibly with ancestors from the part of the country once known as Vietnam, grinned at Luke. His dark hair flopped over one side of his head, perfectly styled, and his eyes were the color of obsidian. "I'm Ronnie. Sole freshman extraordinaire of the Mellophones. It's nice to meet you, Luke. And we don't mind. We're actually kind of happy to have you, honestly," he remarked. Ronnie seemed nice enough, but his scorpion-like eyes made him seem like he'd be trouble to any of his enemies.

Somewhere in the corner of his eye, Luke saw Jadie gettting ready to silence the group. He turned around just as she began to speak. "Alright, everyone, finish introductions as we get moving! We don't want to make security even more of a nightmare than it usually is!" yelled Jadie, two hundred pairs of eyes turning to focus on her.

Her voice echoed of the high ceilings of the building. Luke realized that his surroundings hadn't fully sunk in yet. The rows of baggage counters, the lines queued up all around, the business of the entire place threatening to drown them. He could remember reading about the renovation the entire airport had received during the reign of Justin Illea. Since airports were excellent places to hone the powers of observation in, and he was in a group with so many others of his age range, his mind was going to be quite busy today.

Luke fell into step next to the mellophones when the sections in front of them quickly picked up their bags and headed towards the escalator that would take them all down to the nightmare that would be security. He shuddered at the thought of it. The forty girls having to remember their new identities and pretending to part of the band was a lot to take in.

Somehow he ended up standing on the outside of the group, next to Ronnie. "Since Brent forgot to introduce the section, I'll go ahead and do it," said Ronnie, grinning at Luke, what could only be described as ambition sparkling in the depths of his black irises. It was pretty obvious that Ronnie was hoping to become section leader, or perhaps drill instructor, next marching season. Luke just hoped that his power cravings didn't overwhelm him. Ronnie appeared to be a decent person, and it would be a shame if that disappeared.

"This is Marigold Stuart. She's one of the nicest people you'll ever me, and one of the most talented french horn players as well," gestured Ronnie, a girl with a kind smile and soft hazel eyes waving at Luke when she saw Ronnie introducing her. Marigold's name was reflected in her hair, a wavy waterfall of golden locks.

A stocky boy and a spectacled girl with caramel brown hair were pointed at next. "Justin Wise and Cassidy O'Brian. Justin is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player, along with being in the animal science program at our school. Cassidy is a writing center tutor," he commented, quickly moving on to the New Asian girl and boy that stood next to Cassidy. "You already know Brent, so that's Thomas Kwan and Bella Yang. Thomas is our other senior. He's drill instructor. Bella is a junior. Oh, and the other three are sophomores," finished Ronnie.

The Mellophones reached the top of the abnormally long escalator, which was long enough that the rowdy percussionists had only just reached the bottom when they embarked. Luke was thankful that he was able to balance his carry-on suitcase and backpack without falling.

To Luke's surprise, Jadie ended up directly behind him. Questions about the strange coincidences of the day tumbled through Luke's mind. Just how did Brent end up in the marching band that strategically was being used as their cover-up? Why did Jadie care enough about Luke to put him in a place that he'd actually be relatively comfortable in? Why did Jadie seem like she was being a better moth to Luke than his actual mother usually was? What were the reasons for all of this weirdness?

His attention suddenly drifted to the terminal as the escalator slowly brought them down to their destination. Stylish and modern, with high vaulted ceilings and polished tile floors, the atmosphere immediately changed when they descended into the security area that was directly below the terminal.

Smooth, beige stone walls surrounded the large swath of the room. A dark grey version of the tiles from upstairs patterned the floor. Labyrinths of ropes and complicated lines filled up the space before the dividers that had occasional gaps in them to let people through to put their shoes in the bins, the ropes each eventually leading to one of these openings. Personally, Luke had always detested the airport, but this was only his second time flying in a normal way, outside of a private plane. Being one of the princes certainly had it's downsides when it came to air travel.

"It's weird how eerily similar the layout is to Dulles. I mean, the decorations are nothing alike, and neither is anything else, but if you look closely, parts of the floor plan are the same. The architecture isn't, which confuses me, though," commented Bella, speaking to the section as a whole.

Given that Luke had no idea what Dulles was, he waited until they were off the escalator before trying to understand the conversation between the Mellophones. The enormous line stretching up to the identification checkpoint reminded Luke of the same feeling of control that had settled all over Illea before the curfew and a myriad of other laws were removed by Sam in his Illean Improvement project that was a part of their homeschooling during their 14th year of life.

For some reason unknown to the usually forgotten prince, the entire band and selection accompaniments halted before entering the maze of lines. He could only see fairly terrifying smiles on the faces of the drum majors, who had somehow ended up in the front of the pack, and had a sudden feeling that the true test of whether they could blend in was going to happen now.

Luke nearly fainted when the drum majors began clapping in unison and then yelled "Detail, atten hut!" as loud as they possibly could. He only had a fraction of a second to remember what to do as the band snapped into set position, arms up as if they were holding an invisible trumpet amongst all the sections, unmoving and staring at the drum majors. Thankfully, at least half of the selected group was able to catch on in time, and the feet of those who weren't were quickly stepped on to get them to go to set.

"Hut!" yelled back the band, scaring the tar out of the other inhabitants of the security area. Rory motioned for them to go to stand by and await further instructions. A quick glance in Jadie's direction told Luke that the neon-garbed planner was tempted to implement this strategy of group control into their daily palace lives.

Rory grinned around at the group before giving a subtle nod to the men Luke had deduced as being the band directors. "Ranks of two, everyone, get into your sections in the formation we usually do when marching into a home game. Have your IDs ready, and I want seniors over 18 to lead their sections or have a swarm of minors around them. I'll also have the band directors integrate into the group if you don't have anyone old enough to count," announced the poised drum major.

Brent gestured for Luke to stand next to him. "Rory knows that none of us are actually 18 yet, but Mr. Maloney wanted him to say it," commented Brent. It was true, the adults were all spreading out into the groups as they slowly got in ranks of two, even Jadie having to stand next to a section so they could get through.

'I think Atlantis is the only one of us who really got to be an adult. She's 21, and impressive enough that they couldn't put her in as a high schooler," replied Luke, noticing that the statuesque three had ended up standing next to the flutes with a clipboard. She looked exactly like the other band staff members as she helped organize the flutes into a cohesive unit. The flutes were lucky in that regard, considering the only one of the thirteen staff members that was left when the Mellophones squeezed in behind the trumpets was a color guard teacher.

His partner raised an eyebrow as she shuffled forwards, the group not even into the actual roped off lines up to the identification checkpoint yet. "That's an age difference if I've ever seen one," said Brent with a small, bitter-sounding laugh. Luke shrugged in Fitz's and Atlantis's defense.

"I don't really mean it. It's kind of weird, you know, having to have all of you just appear and act like us. I'm glad you're the only one assigned to our section," defended Brent. Luke understood, a gave him a slight nod, suddenly feeling much more sleep deprived than he had been earlier. Maybe that was because they'd slowly started to inch forwards, the drum majors leading the group through the weaving maze of ropes towards the first part of the long pain that would be airport security.

Taking advantage of the extra time to get a good basis on who was in each section, Luke slowly began to take inventory of where each of the forty-two remaining girls in the selection were. He'd better do the front of line first, with the flute section, before they got through identification and disappeared from his slightly lacking sight range.

The piccolo section consisted of Fitz and Kira. Of course, they were always put into the flute section, so they were currently able to communicate with Albany, Sophea, Ianthe, Sterling, Chiara, Willow, and Evangeline. Luke had quite a few questions for Jadie on how she'd assigned the girls to sections. However, now was not the time to ask. He could always hope that Fitz would ask Jadie later in the day and wish that the neon-clothed planner would answer his brother within earshot of Luke and the Mellophones.

One of the strangest things that had come out of Jadie's mysterious decisions was the clarinet section. Neaera, Illonie, Cosette, Abrielle, Maisynn, Cameron, Ashla, and Mae were engaged in conversation with whatever musician happened to be next to them, all looking rather pleased with their luck in getting put into the large woodwind section.

Considering the noise that was coming from the section that wore t-shirts with the words "Bass clarinets" on them, shirts much like the ones that had been passed out to the girls and Luke shortly after they'd gotten into their sections, the motives behind putting Avriella, Taylor, and Lark into the group were really confusing. Luke felt sorry for them. He would have hated being in their positions, being someone who was usually quiet in groups that were abnormally loud.

For reasons unknown to him, Pandora and Elizabeth had both ended up in the same group as his younger brother. Sam had been placed with the alto saxophones. He wasn't sure why Jadie would have done that, as it seemed to be a terrible idea on her part, but he was sure that she knew what she was doing.

Joining the low reeds section were Gloria, Maizie, and Adalacia. The former two were with the tenor saxophones, and Adalacia had ended up as a baritone saxophone. The uncertain looks on their high school counterparts faces told Luke everything he needed to know. Maizie was going to fit in just fine, but Adalacia and Gloria? Things weren't going to go quite as smoothly for them over the next few hours of hiding inside the marching band.

The trumpet section was just as confusing. Elia, Aurelia, Cila, Stella, Dakota, Isa, Kinsey, and Scarlet had been spread about the largest non-percussion group in the band. Luke and the mellophones were directly behind them, and, since it seemed to be moving very slowly, Luke turned around to observe the back of the line.

Kayleigh, Alexis, Alette, and Flavia were directly behind him with the baritones. Rebekkah, one of the section leaders who was within earshot of Luke, seemed to be making them feel included quite well. She was certainly doing a much better job than the all-male Sousaphone section was doing with Averian. If it had been anyone besides the temperamental five, Luke wouldn't have thought they'd be able to survive, but Averian was definitely holding her own.

Since it was split into two parts, Jessica ended up being one of the only two selected to go with the battery, the marching portion of the drumline. Both Lisbeth and Jillian had ended up with their stationary counterparts in the front ensemble. And, as usual, it just had to be Katelin that had ended up with Jessica in the battery.

"Hey, Luke, we're moving up," said Bella, nudging him in the ribs as he turned around to find that the rest of his section was a few feet in front of him. After muttering a quick apology, Luke tugged his suitcase up so he'd be a part of the middle brass section once more. Another sigh of relief escaped him when Brent smiled in his direction. Luke had realized just how lucky he was once he'd seen where all of the girls had ended up in the marching band.

Marigold was examining a piece of paper. "Brent, did you check the seating assignments for our section yet? Which one of the baritones are we going to have to sit with this time?" inquired the golden haired sophomore, peering over Justin's large shoulder to see their leader. Brent merely shook his head and shrugged.

The fifteen-year-old sighed and started to chat with Bella, something about their current drill. Luke as interested, but didn't want to interrupt them, and stayed silent. With the line advancing more rapidly, talking and moving had to occasionally be done, as it had moved from a snail covered in molasses in a January snowstorm to a more sloth-like pace. Which, surprisingly, was faster than before. It wasn't long before Luke found himself next to Brent, who gave him a conspiratorial grin. "Ready to hear about how we do things here in marching band?" he said.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well, I'm just going to be repressing sad feelings from now on when I have to write the band. Marching band season is over, meaning it'll be a little weird to write them, but it'll also mean more writing time for me. This chapter was a little bland, to be honest, but I wanted to get something out and didn't have the inspiration to do anything better at that point in time. Next chapter should be a little more interesting, since Fitz will want to know everything about marching, and we should actually get on the plane.**

 **I've also come to the realization that I'm not going to finish the story by RRGS's one year anniversary, but with any luck, I should be able to get us to the Elite at that point. I think that's a reasonable goal, and for once I might actually have a chance of completing it. I'd like to quickly thank everyone who has even stuck around for this long. You're all much appreciated, and RRGS wouldn't be here without you. Then I'd have to channel my craziness into something a little less useful.**

 **Another quick side note: If you want to get more involved in RRGS, feel free to send me a PM asking about background information or something of that sort! I won't tell you anything I'm planning, but if you want to know more about the happenings in the story, or just want me to clarify something, ask away! I've got way too many sheets of math homework with random notes in the margins about all things related to the story.**

 **With that said, don't forget to review! Honestly. It's the best way to connect with anyone who actually reads this, and I can assure you that your words aren't going unnoticed. I hope you all found some enjoyment in this chapter, and I'll be working on the next one as quickly as I can!**


	55. Planes and Trains and Cars

Prince Fitz's PoV

Although airport security was quite tedious, it was rather useful in a few significant ways. The acquiescence of information, for instance, was one of them. Fitz quite liked being presented with opportunities to learn new bits of trivia. After all, a prince of Illea was required to know as much as he possibly could in preparation for his eventual throne.

The rather unfortunate aspect about this new knowledge was that it came from sources that happened to be less consistent than he preferred. Enter the piccolos, as they might say in the theater. It was such a shame that the flute sections leaders had doled out the verdict of having the pair of marchers sitting with the unknown element be paired with their new selected friend. Hearin and Ju-Mi, both section leaders, had gone trotting off with Kira a few paces in front of them, while Fitz had been left with two other piccoloes named Kieran and Delilah.

Between the only male piccolo player and Rory's younger sister, Fitz was beginning to question whether he'd end up retrieving anything worth acquiring after all. Delilah was quite distracted with her compatriotes. This, to his dismay, left the unknown variable of Kieran Asher as his informant.

All of this would have been tolerable if not for their present setting. Gray concrete ceilings up above melded seamlessly to walls of the same material, the tile floors an even murkier shade of ash. Incredibly complex machines lay behind glass panels and black elastic ropes, masses of civilians being herded through like cattle coming home from a day of grazing. In his personal opinion, the phrase "When the cows come home" would be better suited to extreme quantities of human beings, such as Angeles rush hour traffic on a weekday.

Fitz's thoughts were thrown into a vicious spiral of pain and guilt as the colorful images on the televisions that hung next to each security line winked at him with their cheery colors. One particular message had caught his eye, the sight of it spawning a bubbling volcano of negative emotions that simmered in his stomach.

The face of Paul, the gardener, was seared back into his mind as soon as he saw the rebel report hotline accompanied by pictures of a deserted building. His attempts to avoid any mentions of the rebels in public, as they weren't quite as terrible in private settings, had been successful up until this point. Fitz absolutely despised the way Commander Liu had prompted him to lie to his brother, but this was all for the best, and the commander was not one to be trifled with. In any situation or point in time. She was a fearsome force of ruthless power.

In truth, there was something in Commander Liu's eyes that sent shivers of fear through his spine. Her eyes, black whirlpools of heartless intelligence, bore holes into the soul of anyone she turned her attention upon. It was rather shocking that the sight of her wasn't enough to send the rebels crawling back to whatever cursed hole they came from.

"Prince Fitz? We're kind of at the security checkpoint. We should take our shoes off and get bins, right? We don't have to wait for a director?" asked Delilah, prompting itz to nod in reply. Given that the drum majors and band directors at the front of the line were going ahead into the security area, Fitz was able to conclude that it was proper to continue. He let the others select bins from the rather massive stack that sat behind the conveyor belt before he carried through with the process himself. Shoes off, suitcase in the bin, electronics out, et cetera.

Noticing that a gray bundle of fluff had tumbled out of Delilah's bag when she took out her electronics, Fitz scooped the plush kitten off of the ground and held it out to the sophomore. "I believe this is yours," commented Fitz, watching as she turned a rather impressive shade of pink and stuttered a quick thanks before stuffing the lush creature into her backpack.

Kieran gave him a half-smile. "It's a gift from someone back home before we left last week. She didn't want to make it, but didn't have anywhere else to put it. Though, it's not like she didn't want it. She was just kind of embarrassed because it was in public and she thinks it's juvenile," remarked the piccolo. Delilah shot him a venomous glare before she walked through the metal detector. The security officer motioned for Kieran and Fitz to step up and wait their turn, Kieran immediately being signalled to go through.

Only a fraction of a minute passed before the bored-looking guard motioned for him to step into the machine. A blinking light and moving beam of metal passed around him in a swift circle before the guard on the other side signalled that he was done.

Once he'd proceeded to retrieve his luggage, and had quickly laced up his loafers, Fitz strode over to where Delilah and Kieran were standing. Waiting for Delilah to finish waving at Ju-Mi, Fitz who was currently going through security, Fitz gave Kira Hewitt a polite nod due to their close proximity to the other trio of piccolos. She returned it with a slight smile, but resumed her conversation with Hearin the moment after she'd acknowledged his presence.

"Earlier, Miller told us to just wait here until everyone was through and that insane lady with the curly hair and really bright clothes gave the go-ahead. She's kind of scary. I'm assuming she's from the palace, like your chaperone or something. I kind of feel sorry for her," said Kieran, leaning to look around Fitz for a glimpse of Jaide Flores.

Delilah did the same, wide round eyes peering over Kieran's shoulder in hopes of catching sight of the neon-clothed planner. Kieran was nearly Fitz's height. Delilah, who was at least half a foot shorter, had to jump to see any sign of the neon woman. Her mousy brown curls spilled over her shoulders as she bounced up and down. Kieran, rolling his eyes, stepped behind her as she giggled in realization of the fact that she could have merely stepped in front of him to see. Fitz allowed himself a small smile as well.

It was apparent that they would have to loiter for some time before the entirely of their herd was through security, so he set about the complicated task of interrogating Kieran and Delilah to learn more about whatever they were willing to share. Starting with the basics would be best.

Fitz cleared his throat. "If you don't mind my inquiry, how exactly does this marching band of yours work? I'm quite intrigued by the subject. Your drill, as I believe it's called, seems quite complex, and it's rather hard to make any sense out of the process you use to learn it. If I'm going to be traveling with you, it's prudent that I'm fully competent in understanding whatever you're discussing throughout the day," he inquired, the two students swiftly turning around to face him as he gave his little speech to enable the collection of knowledge.

Smiling, Delilah shook her head. "We don't mind. In fact, we're happy to teach you about it. So, the basics, I guess. Our drill is made up of sets, each which last a certain number of counts in the music, and we have drill sheets that tell us exactly where to go for each set. Since our music accompanies the show, sets are often a number of measures, " she replied.

Her associate spoke up. "We use the hash marks and yard lines to tell us our coordinates, which are usually how many steps to the left of right of a yard line we are, inside or outside depending on the fifty yard line, and front or back in relation to the hashes and sidelines. For example, my set twelve is twelve steps behind the front hash and two steps inside the side two thirty-five yard line. It's complicated at first, but we all got the hang of it pretty quickly, and we didn't even have dot books this year," continued Kieran.

Before nodding, Fitz assessed the security line, but upon finding that the rather rambunctious Sousaphones were going through and the entire percussion section was to follow, he determined that it would be prudent to continue his investigation. Nevertheless, he retrieved his boarding pass from his folder, a sound decision at any point in time on a trip.

Unfortunately, Kieran and Delilah seemed to have other plans. "So, Fitz, how's the selection going so far? Last week's report showed the eliminations, but nothing new happening," inquired Kieran, intent on grilling Fitz for information in a similar manner to the way Fitz had gone about his investigation of marching band mere minutes earlier. With a sigh, Fitz prepared himself to become dragged down into the dangerous whirlpool of conversing on the selected when they happened to be within earshot of his current position in the terminal.

"We've all been quite swamped with preparations for this traveling period. Jadie had to retrieve materials for all the girls, since rules state that their clothes must be provided by the palace and they couldn't exactly bring their wardrobes with them. The distribution of toiletries was a rather hectic affair that lasted over two days, and I've no clue what went on," replied Fitz.

Suddenly, Kieran let out a noise that could only be described as a giggle. Fitz's eyebrows shot up, Delilah's doing the same. "Um, Kieran, are you okay? If you're about to collapse or something, let us know so Fitz can catch you, as I don't think I can and I'd be perfectly happy to let you smash your head open. He kind of hates everyone, so I don't think anyone would mind him skull splitting in half," remarked Delilah, causing both her and Kieran to break out into fits of hysterical laughter.

Once they had regained their composure, Fitz deemed it to be the proper time to determine exactly why Kieran had made his odd wheezing squeak. "If you don't mind, would you be so kind as to explain what exactly you found so humorous? Please, enlighten us with this seemingly hilarious new development," asked Fitz, directing his question towards Kieran.

"Come on, you honestly don't know? I'm sure it's completely fine in the palace, but when you're with forty-two girls for four weeks it's going to be pretty obvious when it happens. No wonder you weren't allowed to be their when they were passing all the toiletries out. Fifteen girls is enough to have at least three at a given moment, but you? It's going to be like ten or eleven. Poor you. I hope you're prepared, because it's going to be a mess, and I hope they air the emotional weeks on the report," laughed Kieran.

Fitz mentally slapped himself, and was quite tempted to literally whack Kieran upside the skull with some sort of chair, although one wasn't available. He was only saved by Jadie's sudden appearance on their side of security. "Alright, everyone, to the trains! We won't get on one until we're all there," yelled Jadie, terrifying the poor security officers.

It was as though a herd of frightened wildebeests had started to gallop towards them. The group of over 200 people charged towards the escalators, prompting Delilah and Kieran to share a secretive look at each other before each grabbing one of his arms and virtually dragging him behind them with their suitcases. Fitz was lucky enough to have been able to grab his own suitcase and not lose his backpack. On the escalator, they released him, letting Fitz rub his sore wrists and shoot potent looks of venomous death at the sophomore and junior.

Kieran laughed again. "Relax. You're not the only one being pulled through the crowd, did you even see Jonnend and Cora? Honestly, the entire band ships them at this point. Cora would have murdered the color guard and have conducted covered in blood if it weren't for him, though, so I guess it's a good thing,"

This prompted his curiosity, and his head swiveled to the side as he attempted to locate the two drum majors. It appeared that they were hidden by the rest of the crowd. Fitz carefully stepped off the escalator and joined the crowd waiting to board the next train that came through to take them to the necessary terminal. His boarding pass instructed him that they were to go to terminal E, and then swiftly locate gate twenty four. For the band director's sake, Fitz desperately hoped there would be a coffee shop somewhere nearby.

In a short time, it appeared that the entirety of the group had descended the escalator, as Jadie was now herding the writhing mass of teenagers into a more organized formation in front of the tracks that the train would shortly arrive on. He caught her eye, giving her a reassuring smile that she briefly returned, then watched her continue her tedious task.

A whoosh of air announced the arrival of the train. It was accompanied by a robotic, monotone voice instructing everyone to step away from the doors. Obviously, the rush towards them once they'd opened was quite terrifying indeed. Fitz had a sudden unreasonable desire to enlist the surrounding Angeles high schools to be stationed at the palace and charge the rebels under promise of free consumables, swiftly solving the disturbance of the rebels altogether.

It was a rather complex task to actually board the train with the mob of students surrounding him. He managed it, thankfully before the doors shut, and was quite pleased with his opportunity to hold the metal handle hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the train car. Believe it or not, he'd never gotten to do it before, his last experience on a public train being when he was five.

"Phew! I thought we'd lost you, Fitz," said Delilah, startling him, appearing on his left like she'd been summoned out of a magician's top hat. The accompanying sound the doors made when closing only succeeded to add more magic to the effect. When the sophomore nearly toppled over at the sudden lurch the train gave when it began to move, Fitz swiftly snatched her backpack and pulled her up so she wouldn't suffer the humiliation of face planting on a floor that had been touched by who-knew-what.

Delilah made the most intelligent choice and closed her hand around one of the metal poles. "Thanks, Fitz," she said, albeit quietly, seemingly almost as embarrassed as she had been earlier in the stuffed cat debacle in security. Kieran, somehow managing to stride over to them while the train was in motion and not be thrown to the side, grabbed a handle near his.

The junior's murky gray eyes flickered around the train car. "So, it seems like we ended up with the Mellophones, some of the flutes, a few trumpets, and some other assorted kids that lost their sections. Thank goodness we're not with the color guard or rhythm section," observed Kieran, directing his statement towards Fitz. For all their faults, Fitz couldn't help but like Delilah and Kieran, given their penchant for relevant information and a rather surprising amount of maturity for two high school students.

There was a faint scent in the air, smelling almost like cleaning supplies mixed with a hospital setting, that made Fitz's stomach twist into a knot. He appeared to be the only one currently experiencing this slight nausea, prompting him to conclude that the students were assuredly immune to certain types of unsettling scents such as this one.

A sudden question broke Fitz out of his brei period of sickness. "Kieran, how does caste function in marching band? It must have some adverse affect on the activity. If you inform me of any immediate problems, where the solution can stem from the palace without dissolving the caste system a this point in time, I'll prioritize the signing of some legislature upon our arrival back from our current destination," commented Fitz, the wheels in his mind turned like the cogs that operated an old-fashioned standing clock.

Before Kieran could respond, Delilah's eyes had lit up with a fiery burst of energy. "Really? That would be fantastic!" exclaimed Delilah, although her spirited outburst didn't seem to be very keen on sticking around for very long. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like an elementary schooler. It's probably getting annoying," she said, without as must enthusiasm.

"Delilah, I can assure you that your behavior is not obnoxious or juvenile in any possible way. I may speak more eloquently than a large percentage of population, although Sam says I sound like I have a stick up my rear, but that should not impede you from acting human. We all have emotions, and demonstrating them should not be something that you're ever ashamed of. Please, don't apologize for becoming excited and filled with any sort of hope," responded Fitz. Delilah nodded, and he found himself looking away for a brief moment.

The three of them stood in an uncertain silence, the spirited conversations of the train car's other inhabitants filling the space between , none of the passengers seemed even remotely interested in their conversation. They were all rather distracted with their own conversations about the trip, given that there wasn't a single non-selected/marcher there.

Kieran proceeded to tear through the silence like a bullet fired at close range. "Sorry, i guess I forgot to tell you earlier about how caste works in marching band. We don't really pay much attention to it until we're done with high school, after the education laws that were passed a decade or so ago, but our band program is definitely skirting on the edge of breaking the boundaries between castes," remarked the junior, "But a lot of kids who turn out to be really good at music aren't fives and have to find some other musical job in their caste,"

A computer-generated voice prevented Fitz from answering his new compatriots. "Arriving at Terminal E. Please step away from the doors. Arriving at terminal E. Please Step away from the doors. The Train is Arriving. The train is arriving. The train is," said the voice. The actual arrival of the train halted the voice's terrible drone.

Realizing that this was their stop, Fitz loosened his grip on the handle and took a step towards the doors, which remained sealed shut. A fraction of a second elapsed before they opened, a time during which the other inhabitants of the car became aware of the fact that they had reached their destination after five minutes of underground travel. Fitz was lucky enough to be one of the first ones out of the train car doors and into terminal E. This time, Kieran and Delilah were right behind him, dragging their suitcases along with them.

"Everyone, just find the gate! We'll be here to make sure everyone actually gets off the train!" announced Jadie, her familiar clipboard already in hand, a list of names that ad a scattering of blue checkmarks next to them attached to the clipboard for purposes of taking attendance of the numerous selected and students accompanying them.

Delilah waved at Jadie, who shockingly proceeded to smile back at the sophomore, then gestured towards the high-ceilinged corridor that was lined with glass windows and lay directly in front of them. "We have to go that way! Rory and I flew out here a few years ago with our parents for the National League of Professionals conference of fours that our dad was invited to. I remember having an overnight delay, and we just ended up wandering the airport to kill the time while our parents stayed behind and got some sleep," she explained.

Smiling, Fitz motioned towards the corridor with one arm, signalling for her to lead the way.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Delilah and Kieran might just show up soon, but not in the way you'd expect them to. That depends on how much writing time I have, though. And, speaking of writing time, it's only been a week since I released the last chapter! I don't think I've been this quick at writing a chapter since May or maybe June. Marching band being over might be terrible for my sanity, but it's certainly good for my productivity. It also means that we'll only have two or so more chapters with the band. I'd planned it that way initially, but the sadness that overtakes me whenever I have to write about it now is a bit too close to the feeling I get when killing off a character. There's a tiny something to keep everyone interested in the story up on a profile. Let's see if anyone can figure out the answers!**

 **With that said, don't forget to review! It's such a wonderful feeling to see that there are real people somewhere reading my story and that it isn't just something I do for myself. Honestly, it's thanks to all of the readers and reviewers that I've even been as sane as I have been the past ten months!**

 _ **Author's Note Post Script: (It might just be my perspective, but I feel like I'm coming across as a little self centered in these author's notes. Is there something I need to change about them? On another note, what do you think of Delilah and Kieran? Should I possibly bring them back at the end of the story, when we get to it in another century? That was sarcasm. It'll probably only take another decade. Anyways, don't forget that you can send me questions about RRGS anytime you'd like to through a PM! However, please actually have specific questions, given that it's rather difficult to figure out what to say when someone just says that they'd like to know more. )**_


	56. Almost in the Air

Prince Fitz's PoV

Although airport security was quite tedious, it was rather useful in a few significant ways. The acquiescence of information, for instance, was one of them. Fitz quite liked being presented with opportunities to learn new bits of trivia. After all, a prince of Illea was required to know as much as he possibly could in preparation for his eventual throne.

The rather unfortunate aspect about this new knowledge was that it came from sources that happened to be less consistent than he preferred. Enter the piccolos, as they might say in the theater. It was such a shame that the flute sections leaders had doled out the verdict of having the pair of marchers sitting with the unknown element be paired with their new selected friend. Hearin and Ju-Mi, both section leaders, had gone trotting off with Kira a few paces in front of them, while Fitz had been left with two other piccoloes named Kieran and Delilah.

Between the only male piccolo player and Rory's younger sister, Fitz was beginning to question whether he'd end up retrieving anything worth acquiring after all. Delilah was quite distracted with her compatriotes. This, to his dismay, left the unknown variable of Kieran Asher as his informant.

All of this would have been tolerable if not for their present setting. Gray concrete ceilings up above melded seamlessly to walls of the same material, the tile floors an even murkier shade of ash. Incredibly complex machines lay behind glass panels and black elastic ropes, masses of civilians being herded through like cattle coming home from a day of grazing. In his personal opinion, the phrase "When the cows come home" would be better suited to extreme quantities of human beings, such as Angeles rush hour traffic on a weekday.

Fitz's thoughts were thrown into a vicious spiral of pain and guilt as the colorful images on the televisions that hung next to each security line winked at him with their cheery colors. One particular message had caught his eye, the sight of it spawning a bubbling volcano of negative emotions that simmered in his stomach.

The face of Paul, the gardener, was seared back into his mind as soon as he saw the rebel report hotline accompanied by pictures of a deserted building. His attempts to avoid any mentions of the rebels in public, as they weren't quite as terrible in private settings, had been successful up until this point. Fitz absolutely despised the way Commander Liu had prompted him to lie to his brother, but this was all for the best, and the commander was not one to be trifled with. In any situation or point in time. She was a fearsome force of ruthless power.

In truth, there was something in Commander Liu's eyes that sent shivers of fear through his spine. Her eyes, black whirlpools of heartless intelligence, bore holes into the soul of anyone she turned her attention upon. It was rather shocking that the sight of her wasn't enough to send the rebels crawling back to whatever cursed hole they came from.

"Prince Fitz? We're kind of at the security checkpoint. We should take our shoes off and get bins, right? We don't have to wait for a director?" asked Delilah, prompting itz to nod in reply. Given that the drum majors and band directors at the front of the line were going ahead into the security area, Fitz was able to conclude that it was proper to continue. He let the others select bins from the rather massive stack that sat behind the conveyor belt before he carried through with the process himself. Shoes off, suitcase in the bin, electronics out, et cetera.

Noticing that a gray bundle of fluff had tumbled out of Delilah's bag when she took out her electronics, Fitz scooped the plush kitten off of the ground and held it out to the sophomore. "I believe this is yours," commented Fitz, watching as she turned a rather impressive shade of pink and stuttered a quick thanks before stuffing the lush creature into her backpack.

Kieran gave him a half-smile. "It's a gift from someone back home before we left last week. She didn't want to make it, but didn't have anywhere else to put it. Though, it's not like she didn't want it. She was just kind of embarrassed because it was in public and she thinks it's juvenile," remarked the piccolo. Delilah shot him a venomous glare before she walked through the metal detector. The security officer motioned for Kieran and Fitz to step up and wait their turn, Kieran immediately being signalled to go through.

Only a fraction of a minute passed before the bored-looking guard motioned for him to step into the machine. A blinking light and moving beam of metal passed around him in a swift circle before the guard on the other side signalled that he was done.

Once he'd proceeded to retrieve his luggage, and had quickly laced up his loafers, Fitz strode over to where Delilah and Kieran were standing. Waiting for Delilah to finish waving at Ju-Mi, Fitz who was currently going through security, Fitz gave Kira Hewitt a polite nod due to their close proximity to the other trio of piccolos. She returned it with a slight smile, but resumed her conversation with Hearin the moment after she'd acknowledged his presence.

"Earlier, Miller told us to just wait here until everyone was through and that insane lady with the curly hair and really bright clothes gave the go-ahead. She's kind of scary. I'm assuming she's from the palace, like your chaperone or something. I kind of feel sorry for her," said Kieran, leaning to look around Fitz for a glimpse of Jaide Flores.

Delilah did the same, wide round eyes peering over Kieran's shoulder in hopes of catching sight of the neon-clothed planner. Kieran was nearly Fitz's height. Delilah, who was at least half a foot shorter, had to jump to see any sign of the neon woman. Her mousy brown curls spilled over her shoulders as she bounced up and down. Kieran, rolling his eyes, stepped behind her as she giggled in realization of the fact that she could have merely stepped in front of him to see. Fitz allowed himself a small smile as well.

It was apparent that they would have to loiter for some time before the entirely of their herd was through security, so he set about the complicated task of interrogating Kieran and Delilah to learn more about whatever they were willing to share. Starting with the basics would be best.

Fitz cleared his throat. "If you don't mind my inquiry, how exactly does this marching band of yours work? I'm quite intrigued by the subject. Your drill, as I believe it's called, seems quite complex, and it's rather hard to make any sense out of the process you use to learn it. If I'm going to be traveling with you, it's prudent that I'm fully competent in understanding whatever you're discussing throughout the day," he inquired, the two students swiftly turning around to face him as he gave his little speech to enable the collection of knowledge.

Smiling, Delilah shook her head. "We don't mind. In fact, we're happy to teach you about it. So, the basics, I guess. Our drill is made up of sets, each which last a certain number of counts in the music, and we have drill sheets that tell us exactly where to go for each set. Since our music accompanies the show, sets are often a number of measures, " she replied.

Her associate spoke up. "We use the hash marks and yard lines to tell us our coordinates, which are usually how many steps to the left of right of a yard line we are, inside or outside depending on the fifty yard line, and front or back in relation to the hashes and sidelines. For example, my set twelve is twelve steps behind the front hash and two steps inside the side two thirty-five yard line. It's complicated at first, but we all got the hang of it pretty quickly, and we didn't even have dot books this year," continued Kieran.

Before nodding, Fitz assessed the security line, but upon finding that the rather rambunctious Sousaphones were going through and the entire percussion section was to follow, he determined that it would be prudent to continue his investigation. Nevertheless, he retrieved his boarding pass from his folder, a sound decision at any point in time on a trip.

Unfortunately, Kieran and Delilah seemed to have other plans. "So, Fitz, how's the selection going so far? Last week's report showed the eliminations, but nothing new happening," inquired Kieran, intent on grilling Fitz for information in a similar manner to the way Fitz had gone about his investigation of marching band mere minutes earlier. With a sigh, Fitz prepared himself to become dragged down into the dangerous whirlpool of conversing on the selected when they happened to be within earshot of his current position in the terminal.

"We've all been quite swamped with preparations for this traveling period. Jadie had to retrieve materials for all the girls, since rules state that their clothes must be provided by the palace and they couldn't exactly bring their wardrobes with them. The distribution of toiletries was a rather hectic affair that lasted over two days, and I've no clue what went on," replied Fitz.

Suddenly, Kieran let out a noise that could only be described as a giggle. Fitz's eyebrows shot up, Delilah's doing the same. "Um, Kieran, are you okay? If you're about to collapse or something, let us know so Fitz can catch you, as I don't think I can and I'd be perfectly happy to let you smash your head open. He kind of hates everyone, so I don't think anyone would mind him skull splitting in half," remarked Delilah, causing both her and Kieran to break out into fits of hysterical laughter.

Once they had regained their composure, Fitz deemed it to be the proper time to determine exactly why Kieran had made his odd wheezing squeak. "If you don't mind, would you be so kind as to explain what exactly you found so humorous? Please, enlighten us with this seemingly hilarious new development," asked Fitz, directing his question towards Kieran.

"Come on, you honestly don't know? I'm sure it's completely fine in the palace, but when you're with forty-two girls for four weeks it's going to be pretty obvious when it happens. No wonder you weren't allowed to be their when they were passing all the toiletries out. Fifteen girls is enough to have at least three at a given moment, but you? It's going to be like ten or eleven. Poor you. I hope you're prepared, because it's going to be a mess, and I hope they air the emotional weeks on the report," laughed Kieran.

Fitz mentally slapped himself, and was quite tempted to literally whack Kieran upside the skull with some sort of chair, although one wasn't available. He was only saved by Jadie's sudden appearance on their side of security. "Alright, everyone, to the trains! We won't get on one until we're all there," yelled Jadie, terrifying the poor security officers.

It was as though a herd of frightened wildebeests had started to gallop towards them. The group of over 200 people charged towards the escalators, prompting Delilah and Kieran to share a secretive look at each other before each grabbing one of his arms and virtually dragging him behind them with their suitcases. Fitz was lucky enough to have been able to grab his own suitcase and not lose his backpack. On the escalator, they released him, letting Fitz rub his sore wrists and shoot potent looks of venomous death at the sophomore and junior.

Kieran laughed again. "Relax. You're not the only one being pulled through the crowd, did you even see Jonnend and Cora? Honestly, he's her best friend, and the only reason she's sane. Cora would have murdered the color guard and have conducted covered in blood if it weren't for him, though, so I guess it's a good thing,"

This prompted his curiosity, and his head swiveled to the side as he attempted to locate the two drum majors. It appeared that they were hidden by the rest of the crowd. Fitz carefully stepped off the escalator and joined the crowd waiting to board the next train that came through to take them to the necessary terminal. His boarding pass instructed him that they were to go to terminal E, and then swiftly locate gate twenty four. For the band director's sake, Fitz desperately hoped there would be a coffee shop somewhere nearby.

In a short time, it appeared that the entirety of the group had descended the escalator, as Jadie was now herding the writhing mass of teenagers into a more organized formation in front of the tracks that the train would shortly arrive on. He caught her eye, giving her a reassuring smile that she briefly returned, then watched her continue her tedious task.

A whoosh of air announced the arrival of the train. It was accompanied by a robotic, monotone voice instructing everyone to step away from the doors. Obviously, the rush towards them once they'd opened was quite terrifying indeed. Fitz had a sudden unreasonable desire to enlist the surrounding Angeles high schools to be stationed at the palace and charge the rebels under promise of free consumables, swiftly solving the disturbance of the rebels altogether.

It was a rather complex task to actually board the train with the mob of students surrounding him. He managed it, thankfully before the doors shut, and was quite pleased with his opportunity to hold the metal handle hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the train car. Believe it or not, he'd never gotten to do it before, his last experience on a public train being when he was five.

"Phew! I thought we'd lost you, Fitz," said Delilah, startling him, appearing on his left like she'd been summoned out of a magician's top hat. The accompanying sound the doors made when closing only succeeded to add more magic to the effect. When the sophomore nearly toppled over at the sudden lurch the train gave when it began to move, Fitz swiftly snatched her backpack and pulled her up so she wouldn't suffer the humiliation of face planting on a floor that had been touched by who-knew-what.

Delilah made the most intelligent choice and closed her hand around one of the metal poles. "Thanks, Fitz," she said, albeit quietly, seemingly almost as embarrassed as she had been earlier in the stuffed cat debacle in security. Kieran, somehow managing to stride over to them while the train was in motion and not be thrown to the side, grabbed a handle near his.

The junior's murky gray eyes flickered around the train car. "So, it seems like we ended up with the Mellophones, some of the flutes, a few trumpets, and some other assorted kids that lost their sections. Thank goodness we're not with the color guard or rhythm section," observed Kieran, directing his statement towards Fitz. For all their faults, Fitz couldn't help but like Delilah and Kieran, given their penchant for relevant information and a rather surprising amount of maturity for two high school students.

There was a faint scent in the air, smelling almost like cleaning supplies mixed with a hospital setting, that made Fitz's stomach twist into a knot. He appeared to be the only one currently experiencing this slight nausea, prompting him to conclude that the students were assuredly immune to certain types of unsettling scents such as this one.

A sudden question broke Fitz out of his brei period of sickness. "Kieran, how does caste function in marching band? It must have some adverse affect on the activity. If you inform me of any immediate problems, where the solution can stem from the palace without dissolving the caste system a this point in time, I'll prioritize the signing of some legislature upon our arrival back from our current destination," commented Fitz, the wheels in his mind turned like the cogs that operated an old-fashioned standing clock.

Before Kieran could respond, Delilah's eyes had lit up with a fiery burst of energy. "Really? That would be fantastic!" exclaimed Delilah, although her spirited outburst didn't seem to be very keen on sticking around for very long. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like an elementary schooler. It's probably getting annoying," she said, without as must enthusiasm.

"Delilah, I can assure you that your behavior is not obnoxious or juvenile in any possible way. I may speak more eloquently than a large percentage of population, although Sam says I sound like I have a stick up my rear, but that should not impede you from acting human. We all have emotions, and demonstrating them should not be something that you're ever ashamed of. Please, don't apologize for becoming excited and filled with any sort of hope," responded Fitz. Delilah nodded, and he found himself looking away for a brief moment.

The three of them stood in an uncertain silence, the spirited conversations of the train car's other inhabitants filling the space between , none of the passengers seemed even remotely interested in their conversation. They were all rather distracted with their own conversations about the trip, given that there wasn't a single non-selected/marcher there.

Kieran proceeded to tear through the silence like a bullet fired at close range. "Sorry, i guess I forgot to tell you earlier about how caste works in marching band. We don't really pay much attention to it until we're done with high school, after the education laws that were passed a decade or so ago, but our band program is definitely skirting on the edge of breaking the boundaries between castes," remarked the junior, "But a lot of kids who turn out to be really good at music aren't fives and have to find some other musical job in their caste,"

A computer-generated voice prevented Fitz from answering his new compatriots. "Arriving at Terminal E. Please step away from the doors. Arriving at terminal E. Please Step away from the doors. The Train is Arriving. The train is arriving. The train is," said the voice. The actual arrival of the train halted the voice's terrible drone.

Realizing that this was their stop, Fitz loosened his grip on the handle and took a step towards the doors, which remained sealed shut. A fraction of a second elapsed before they opened, a time during which the other inhabitants of the car became aware of the fact that they had reached their destination after five minutes of underground travel. Fitz was lucky enough to be one of the first ones out of the train car doors and into terminal E. This time, Kieran and Delilah were right behind him, dragging their suitcases along with them.

"Everyone, just find the gate! We'll be here to make sure everyone actually gets off the train!" announced Jadie, her familiar clipboard already in hand, a list of names that ad a scattering of blue checkmarks next to them attached to the clipboard for purposes of taking attendance of the numerous selected and students accompanying them.

Delilah waved at Jadie, who shockingly proceeded to smile back at the sophomore, then gestured towards the high-ceilinged corridor that was lined with glass windows and lay directly in front of them. "We have to go that way! Rory and I flew out here a few years ago with our parents for the National League of Professionals conference of fours that our dad was invited to. I remember having an overnight delay, and we just ended up wandering the airport to kill the time while our parents stayed behind and got some sleep," she explained.

Smiling, Fitz motioned towards the corridor with one arm, signalling for her to lead the way.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Delilah and Kieran might just show up soon, but not in the way you'd expect them to. That depends on how much writing time I have, though. And, speaking of writing time, it's only been a week since I released the last chapter! I don't think I've been this quick at writing a chapter since May or maybe June. Marching band being over might be terrible for my sanity, but it's certainly good for my productivity. It also means that we'll only have two or so more chapters with the band. I'd planned it that way initially, but the sadness that overtakes me whenever I have to write about it now is a bit too close to the feeling I get when killing off a character. There's a tiny something to keep everyone interested in the story up on a profile. Let's see if anyone can figure out the answers!**

 **With that said, don't forget to review! It's such a wonderful feeling to see that there are real people somewhere reading my story and that it isn't just something I do for myself. Honestly, it's thanks to all of the readers and reviewers that I've even been as sane as I have been the past ten months!**

 _ **Author's Note Post Script: (It might just be my perspective, but I feel like I'm coming across as a little self centered in these author's notes. Is there something I need to change about them? On another note, what do you think of Delilah and Kieran? Should I possibly bring them back at the end of the story, when we get to it in another century? That was sarcasm. It'll probably only take another decade. Anyways, don't forget that you can send me questions about RRGS anytime you'd like to through a PM! However, please actually have specific questions, given that it's rather difficult to figure out what to say when someone just says that they'd like to know more. )**_


	57. Breakdown

Prince Luke's POV

Warm, buttery sunlight danced around the tiled floor in dappled pools of gold. It washed over the faces of the weary travelers on their way to some far-off destination, some turning their face away in aversion to the brilliant light while others let it sweep over them like a wave of water. A certain few were akin to flowers in their reaction to the warmth, reaching out to it, growing taller as if they were unconscious trying to sprout wings and fly into the gentle beams that caressed their smooth skin.

Jet lag encircled those who had recently stumbled off the majestic metal vessels that soared across the sky. Internal clocks frantically attempted to adjust, only to fail and resign themselves to slowly acclimating themselves to this new longitude. Chatter and noise rose up to the ceiling as travellers sought to find a way to maintain friendships forged over the last six hours.

Floor-to-ceiling windows on one side provided a backdrop of aircraft and runways, restaurants and shops on the other brought the delicious smell of fresh food to the scent receptors of anyone passing by. In the middle of this, a bulbous mass of people swiftly traveled down a rapidly clearing path towards an escalator with a sign above it marking the entrance to the baggage claim. Anyone who happened to be in front of this group moved out of their path, fear of being trampled by the stampede keeping them from continuing onwards.

All in all, Labrador International Airport was kind of a busy place, and it didn't take much time for Illea's middle prince to become satisfied with his observation of his surroundings and turn his attention back to the high school students closest to his current position in the ever-moving herd.

His own experiences over the past few hours had left a sort of bittersweet feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd talked and laughed with the Mellophones like a normal high schooler, like he belonged there, and they had accepted him like one of their own. He wasn't forgotten. He wasn't left to sit by himself in a corner, wasn't some sort of faded shadow, wasn't completely invisible. The happiness of being accepted and the melancholy of leaving it churned around, making him slightly nauseous.

Brent, Justin, Marigold, Cassidy, Thomas, Ronnie, and Bella. All gathered around him now as they frantically attempted to give him their contact information and get his before they reached the baggage claim and had to part ways. The Stringfellow High School Marching Skunks would be flying back home, while the selected would drive to Hansport for their next flight.

Marigold, her blonde mane of curls bouncing down her back, shyly held out her phone to him. It had taken some time for Luke to get used to this method of exchanging contact information, but he'd done it six times so far, and this would be the last one. He handed his own phone to Marigold and carefully held her's in his hand, typing in his contact information before swapping back to his own phone. They were approaching the escalator down to the baggage claim, and a heavy air of unhappiness was filling the air around their large herd of students.

"It's kind of cruel, you know, letting us make friends and be stuck with each other for a quarter of a day before unceremoniously separating us. They should know that it's impossible not to form a bond with other people in these situations," remarked Bella, adjusting her sleek ponytail as she spoke, somehow balancing her bags without falling.

Ronnie, the resident freshman, nodded. "Totally. It's not just here, look around, it's everywhere, and it's not like we'll just be able to pop by for a visit on the weekends. We live all the way across the country, and even if we didn't, the palace security is overkill," he replied. Luke mentally winced, not physically, but a remainder of the country not knowing about the recent rebel attacks wasn't exactly helping his already dejected mood.

Marigold blinked her hazel eyes as the seemingly infinite escalator continued its descent. "Think of the positive, you two! They're letting us exchange contact information with one of the princes and aren't breaking our phones or something. We've all made a friend, and online friendships work just as well as physical ones," she said.

Smirking, Brent hoisted his backpack up on his back to stop it from slipping down farther. "Yep. We've got a great example right here," he commented, letting out a short laugh that sounded more like the bark of a large dog. Luke nodded and smiled, although he was berating himself for putting thoughts of his friend in the back of his mind during the earlier portion of the selection while they were in Illea. Had he even thought about Brent once since the whole process started? He knew they hadn't talked online since the day before the announcement.

Cassidy spoke up. "You two knew each for five years before today, and that really does go to show that people can still connect and interact in meaningful ways over long distances," she said. Her short, colorful hair caught the light and the dyed strands of green, blue, and purple looked almost like a kaleidoscope in that moment.

"I'll send you pictures from Hawaii and everything, if Jadie let's me. And I'll see if I can get the band invited back to the palace after the selection is over, maybe not to do a show this time so the pressure isn't on all of you again," replied Luke. Brent nodded enthusiastically, and smiles rose on the faces of the others. Marigold seemed especially excited. The expression on her face filled him up with warmth, and made him feel like he was doing the right thing.

The escalator's end came into sight. The sections that were near the front had already stepped off, and hasty farewells were being said as Jadie and the band staff were putting the students in a line near the upwards escalator and sending the selected towards the actual baggage claim.

Together, Luke and the mellophones stepped off of the method of transportation and over to a small corner that was far enough away from Jadie's watchful eyes that they'd have a few minutes to say goodbye to each other before they had to go their separate ways. An awkward pause followed, no one knowing exactly what to say and no one wanting to be the first to say goodbye. The would have been awkward, and then they might feel like they'd somehow offended the others. At least, that's what Luke thought about speaking first.

"Well, I guess this is it. Goodbye, Luke," said Justin, never one for making his words more complicated than necessary. Thomas and Bella echoed his words, though with a little less dryness behind them, and in a much more caring manner. Justin hadn't quite seemed to care for traveling at all over the time they'd been together.

Vibrant-haired Cassidy gave him a soft smile, her eyes darting back and forth behind her glasses. "Bye, Luke. Don't forget that we'll all be available if you need help with something, or just need someone to talk to you," she remarked. Luke managed a quiet word of thanks to the sophomore. She had no idea how much those words truly meant to him. In fact, he didn't think anyone really did, although Jadie had started to confuse him with her apparent concern of how he was feeling at any given time.

Not to be outdone, Ronnie happily chimed in as well. "Yeah. This might be the last time we see you in person for awhile, but that's why technology is so great! I expect constant updates on how the selection is progressing. The report has been a bit lacking this time, from what I've heard of the last selection's coverage. See ya, Luke!" exclaimed the freshman.

Soft-spoken and kind, Marigold seemed to convey everything she wanted to say in a tiny smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth and filled up her eyes. "Goodbye, Luke," she whispered. Luke was confused, and would have tilted his head like a dog trying to locate an unfamiliar noise if he hadn't caught Jadie's eye giving him a firm glare that was obviously a sign to hurry up with the farewells and get moving once again.

"If you need anyone cussed out for you, call me," commented Brent, not one for long goodbyes, and patted him roughly on the shoulder. Luke smiled at his online friend, no longer virtual for just the last five hours, and suppressed the overwhelming need to give him and all the other mellophones a hug. That was confusing, as he wasn't exactly a hugging type of person.

Glancing back at the seven mellophones one last time, Luke picked up his bags and began to move towards Jadie. A crowd of girls who had already departed from their sections was surrounding something Jadie had hastily taped up to a wall behind her, and she nodded towards Luke as he walked towards the mysterious list. Maisynn stepped aside to let him pass, and seeing her was kind of surreal after the past few hours spent with the Stringfellow High School Marching Skunks.

The list, unsurprisingly, was a typed-out sheet of Jadie's instructions for the driving phase of their journey. He was, however, surprised to see that it instructed them not to look for their bags in the baggage claim and that they'd be on another plane to Hawaii without them, waiting for the selected when they arrived at the future island province.

In addition to that, the paper also explained the change in plans for the transportation arrangements into Hansport. They'd had to cancel their rental of the buses and instead of be renting minivans that would each hold eight girls, with one of them driving in each car. Sam and Fitz would be taking another car in the front of their caravan, while Luke would drive the van to hold all of their other bags with Jadie as his passenger. Apparently there had to be a cap on how many of their carry-ons each gil could bring to the van and one of the two had to be left with him.

Luke turned around to face Maisynn. "Er, Hi," he stuttered, butterflies returning to his stomach. Just like that, his comfortable position with a group of people that he already knew accepted him was gone, and the middle prince of Illea was back to worrying about making a fool of himself in front the selected.

Thankfully, Maisynn was one of the less judgemental girls in the selection. "Hi, Luke. Are you ready for the long car ride?" asked Maisynn, her voice wavering slightly. Luke nodded. His eyes had flickered over to where Jadie stood for a fraction of a second and he had realized that they almost had all forty six travelers in their group ready to go.42 girls, three princes, and one very brightly colored Jadie. From what he'd seen of Sam's little prank association, this trip might be a little hard for the official selection planner.

"I don't know, to be honest. Um, I guess it'll be long, it's been awhile since I've traveled in a car for that amount of time," replied Luke. He hadn't been planning on focusing his attention back to Maisynn instead of Jadie, but he'd seen her face fall when he'd originally answered, and it had made him feel like a terrible human being.

A sudden thought came to Luke. "Was your prosthetic okay during security? I can't believe I forgot, I'd meant to ask you and work on some sort of solution with Jadie over the past few days. I really hope everything went smoothly, if it didn't, I can see what we could do during the next time we go through security in Hansport. I'm such an idiot," he stammered, shaking his head and glancing down at the gleaming tiled floor.

"I have a medical ID that I carry with me to let me go through a private security screening. It's really nice that you cared, though," said Maisynn, somewhat quietly. Luke felt his face flush, and his gaze immediately flickered back down to the floor in an effort to hide it from Maisynn.

Thinking about the difficulties of getting prosthetics through security, Luke's mind turned to the amount of medical supplies they would have to bring on the trip. Both Maisynn and Isa had prosthetics, and he figured Jadie must have been carrying around seventeen different first aid kits. Some of the girls probably had allergies, and others probably had to take medicine for other reasons that were unknown to him. He hadn't been allowed access to the medical files, but he'd be sure to to ask later.

Speaking of Jadie, it appeared that she had finally gathered the few remaining girls and was marching them over towards the group of selected that Luke had somehow merged himself into. He noticed that both Fitz and Sam were hovering in plain sight, more on the outskirts, while he'd done his best to camouflage himself in the crowd.

"Okay, everyone, listen up! I've chosen girls to drive for each group, I'm going to call each of you forwards and then you'll just be put in a car by my instructions," shouted Jadie, directing the girls she'd removed from their goodbyes to the marching band kids into the mass of girls. Luke noticed that she stifled a sigh as she glanced down at the list. He suddenly became quite thankful that he wasn't in a car driven by one of the girls, as it was obvious that Jadie regretted her choices for the drivers.

A few of the girls around him managed to stop talking as Jadie announced the drivers. "Averian, Car one. Stella, car two. Illonie, car three. Atlantis, car four. Isa, car five. Lisbeth, car six. Don't make me regret this. I'll have a way to constantly contact you and there's a tracker on each car, so stay on the route I'll give you. Drivers, take these, and I'll need everyone else to make a line,"

The girls scurried to make a line, the chosen few drivers taking their packets from Jadie before standing besides her with varying expressions on their faces. One of the girls at the front of the line, Alette, looked like she had a variety of choice words to say to Jadie about not being picked as one of the drivers. Personally, Luke wouldn't have trusted Alette to abide by speed limits, as a race car driver, and it was rather clear that Jadie had been thinking along the same lines as him when she'd picked the drivers.

Luke hovered awkwardly off to the side. He was good at awkward hovering. In fact, he would consider it one of his few talents. That and being completely ignored. If there was some sort of sport for standing around with no idea of what he was supposed to do, or just being forgotten, he would be a top athlete.

It wasn't very long before Jadie had managed to get everyone into small groups and have them headed out the door, Fitz and Sam in the front of the line to lead them to the right place. Luke breathed a sigh of relief when Jadie turned on her heels and strode back over to him with a slight smile on her strict face. "Alright, Luke. The truck should be waiting up front with the trailer attached to it. I'll be on the phone and monitoring the cars for most of the drive, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me," said Jadie.

Without another word, Jadie turned around again and started walking towards the doors. Luke did a weird speed walk trot thing that probably didn't look very dignified. It didn't take very long to catch up with the official planner, but he still had to keep himself moving to stay besides her.

Spotting Neaera, Luke surprised himself by giving her a small wave, which she returned after a second's hesitation. Once again, for the second time in five minutes, a flush spread up into his cheeks. He really needed to stop with this blushing thing. If Sam ever got wind of it, and actually took the time to notice him, he would teased for eternity. Or until Sam got bored and forgot his existed, like usual. That was a regular occurrence among anyone Luke tended to see more than once a week, and even then, he could still be ignored.

Jadie pressed the keys to the truck into his hand and went around it, opening the door and sliding into the passenger's seat. Luke, after a moment, walked over to the driver's side and did the same. He was pleased to see that the truck didn't smell terrible, and was actually pretty clean. The layout wasn't that different from what he'd driven before.

"Here, let's wait for Fitz to get on the road. He know's where he's going, I briefed him earlier, and the girls should hopefully follow him. I'm hoping we won't have any trouble. If Averian tries to stop at a fast food restaurant on the way, I'm going to take away that girl's phone and gps so she stays on the road. As long as no one encourages her, we'll be fine. Though Alette is in that car. I'll have to keep a close eye on that vehicle for the next few hours," said Jadie, almost talking to herself instead of him, but making eye contact to let him know he was part of this.

Once all the girls had departed, Luke turned the key in the ignition and stepped on the gas, pulling out of the parking spot and being careful to check whether he was about to run anyone over. When the princes had taken their driving tests two years ago, someone had hired an instructor to help, and Luke had been lucky to actually have a chance behind the wheel.

As they drove out of the airport and onto the road, Jadie directing him when he couldn't spot the cars of the girls or his brothers ahead of him, he realized that this was going to be a rather lengthy drive. Seven hours was no short trip to the grocery store. He was sure that the girls could handle it, but wasn't so sure that he could actually last the drive. On that note, even with his long runs to get some time away from the palace, they were probably all stronger than him, too.

 _Time went on. And on. Five hours and thirty minutes passed, and then disaster struck…_

Luke knew something was amiss when Jadie muted the security feed. She'd had it on, monitoring the girls for the past five hours, constantly filling the truck with the sounds of six different conversations going on at the same time. It wasn't that great for driving without distractions, but if Jadie thought it was necessary, Luke could handle it.

When his mind started to warn him of a potential problem, Luke frowned and realized that they were slowing down. He attempted to press the gas pedal. The truck didn't accelerate, only continuing its slow crawl forwards, much to the annoyance of the cars behind them. Jadie mirrored his frown. "Luke, pull over to the shoulder. This is not some normal problem with the mechanics of the vehicle, if anything, I believe with have a flat tire," she snapped, motioning towards the right side of the road, causing him to turn the steering wheel.

It took a few minutes for the truck to make it over to the side of the road. Shifting the gear into park, Luke looked to Jadie for instructions once again, only to find her with her phone up to her ear. "Fitz, we appear to have a mechanical issue with our transportation. I'd like you to continue on to Hansport and wait for us inside the airport," said Jadie, rather loudly.

He opened his door as Jadie continued to prattle on with directions for his brother, and immediately winced at the sight of the very flat tire that greeted them. It didn't help that he'd just remembered that the vehicle didn't have a spare tire. Oh, this was definitely going to be a torturous afternoon. The tire was pretty much done for. Luke ensured that they didn't have a spare rather swiftly, opening up the storage trailer attached to the truck and checking inside, and came back outside to see Jadie scowling at the tire.

"Jadie? Um, I think one of us is going to have to take the truck and get a spare tire, wrench, and a car jack. Though, er, we may want to empty the truck first. We won't be able to change the tire with that much weight in the trailer," stammered Luke, averting her eyes to spare himself a deadly glare.

The planner sighed. "Detach the trailer from the truck, Luke. Then go get us our supplies. I let Fitz know that they'll have to go on without us, he'll lead everyone to the airport and have them wait there until we arrive. While you get our supplies, I'm going to empty the trailer so we don't have to waste time when you get back. It'll be fine, though, so don't worry about it. Traffic is already rather heavy and I promise that I will refrain from getting run over," instructed Jadie, pointing him towards the place where the truck was connected to the trailer.

After some considerable struggling to detach the trailer, Luke managed to detach it from the truck, and it separated with a rather large crash. He wincd. It was a bit loud, but he'd gotten the job done, which was probably the only thing that really mattered to Jadie at this current moment in time.

Another glare from Jadie in his direction was all the prompting he needed to get into the truck and start the engine. It was a wheel on the trailer that had gone flat, after all, so the truck should be perfectly fine and in working condition. That didn't really do anything to make him feel better as he carefully navigated his way back onto the highway to find the nearest exit. There was one less than a mile ahead, right before an overpass, and he figured that there would probably be some place that he could get his supplies in the town that it led to.

Luke took a deep breath as he flicked his turn signal on. Driving was awfully stressful, and he desperately wished that he'd gotten more practice at the skill before he'd had to do it in a real-life situation. It was kind of sad that he was eighteen and this nervous while doing it. He'd gotten his license two years ago, and had started driving half a year before that.

Where would the best place to get a spare tire and a wrench be located? Honestly, he had no clue. A hardware store would be the most likely place, as he doubted that any repair shop would be willing to hand him a free spare tire, and he'd also be able to get the tools necessary to fix it there. Now Luke would just have to locate a store and attempt to gather supplies with the limited funds he had on him. Thankfully, he had money for emergencies stored away on his person, and this certainly qualified as an emergency.

It took a few stoplights and squinting at shopping center signs to find himself someplace that would have his tools. He may have wasted two extra minutes assisting an elderly woman unload her groceries in the park spot next to him, sure, but once he'd wheeled her cart back and said goodbye, he practically ran through the store's automatic entrance point.

Asking an employee for help wouldn't be exactly comfortable for Luke. Therefore, he might have to take a little additional time to find what he needed, though he was fine with that if it helped him avoid any uncomfortable situations. If anyone recognized him, he;d endanger the security of the entire Hawaii trip. The rebels could figure out their plan, and if they located them in Hawaii, they wouldn't be able to get back to the palace quickly enough to avoid any attacks during travel. In that scenario, someone was bound to get hurt.

A large sign nearby proclaimed one of the aisles as being the resting place of several different types of tools, so it would probably be a good place to start. He wandered into the narrow space with a slight shiver. It was kind of cold inside the store, even though it was the end of August and the store had a large open-air section for gardening on the side.

Jack hammer? Nope. Hatchet? No. Not necessary. Luke was only just delving into the store, and he was already convinced that he'd find a weaponry aisle sitting around here somewhere. A battle axe wouldn't exactly be helpful for changing a tire. On that thought, though, Luke suddenly realized that he was surprisingly lucky to actually know how to change one at all. Ones weren't usually the type of people to change tires. That was a thing sixes or sevens would be used to, not princes, but he'd picked up the skill somewhere, for some reason.

Why was the caste system still in place, anyway? It was already dissolving in slow pieces. The curfew was gone, the laws were less strict, but on of the main issues of Illea that had been supposedly ready to be fixed right before his birth had lingered on. He'd grown up with expectations for it to leave, and it was less prominent, but still there.

King Maxon, his father, was said to have made a deal with the group known as the Northern Rebels back when the rebels weren't just one group of merciless killers. They had wanted to dissolve the caste system, and his father had supposedly decided to help them. Luke had even heard rumors of his own mother's involvement in the organization, but she'd never paid enough attention to him anyway for him to ever ask her about it. She'd always seemed withdrawn and angry, although he could remember her attempting to be loving to his family when he was little.

Luke suddenly came to a profound realization. His mother had hardened herself after Maxon hadn't dissolved the caste system. It had to somehow be related to America Singer, the dead five who his father was rumored to have almost chosen instead of Kriss, and Kriss had responded by closing herself off from truly letting herself love her family.

Although he understood why she hadn't been there as a mother for him all of those years, it didn't replace the fact that she'd read bedtime stories to Fitz, or that she'd used to color pictures of smiley suns and sparkling rainbow horses with Sam before she'd resorted to yelling at him for all of his mischief-making. If Luke was lucky, he would have gotten a rare smile from her, or perhaps even a hug. It was like Fitz and Sam were definitely hers, with their brown hair, but Luke was more similar in looks to Maxon, and it almost hurt her heart to see it.

A hardware store wasn't the best place to consider the entirety of someone's life, but Luke's mind began to swirl anyway. With a sudden feeling of the ground dropping out from under him, Luke plopped down on the concrete floor and crossed his legs.

Something he'd forgotten, something he'd seen long ago, had just been remembered.

A memory once hidden had come back into the light…

* * *

 **Author's Note: A longer chapter, at last! Though I am sorry for the time it took to write. With any luck, we should get two or three chapters before RRGS's one year anniversary, given that I started writing them and completely forgot to post this one.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, and be on the lookout for the next chapter!**


	58. Fluoxetine

_**Author's Note: I haven't had much time to get writing over break, unfortunately, so this is the best I can do. A meager quarter of a chapter and then a short little thing I did at the end when I realized that this was going to have to be it for the one-year anniversary chapter. I'll hopefully get to write a better chapter once everything settles down, so don't forget to review to tell me what you think should happen on the plane! I'll include the general words of thanks there, too, since I'm writing this five minutes before I need to run out the door. Nevertheless, I hope you've enjoyed RRGS over the past year, and I'll do my best to make sure that it only gets better in 2018.**_

* * *

 **Prince Fitz's POV**

A burst of bright sunlight streamed through the relatively distant window, dappling the seat in front of him with light for a brief instant before vanishing behind the heavy gray clouds once more. The rays only lent themselves to the surreal environment that always seemed to occur while soaring high above the ground in a man-made vehicle. After all, every dream was meant to be a nebulous swirl of brilliant light and soft pastel colors.

It didn't take long for Fitz to return to the present, however. Back to the strange aura of distance and confusion that surrounded Luke in his seat towards the middle of the plane. Back to the unmistakable echo of Sam's raucous laughter from where the youngest prince sat alone, but surrounded by friends in other rows and sections.

Other voices separated themselves from the din as well. The melodious voices of Cila and Scarlet, raised in song, were among the loudest distractions in their metal bird. A rousing rendition of the soundtrack from "The Book of Mormon" was rather hard to ignore. Not to mention that a good number of the girls near their section of the plane were waiting for their chance to join in on the ensemble role whenever the need came up for background voices.

Needless to say, it was impossible for him to focus on reading his novel. It would be much better to engage in polite conversation, or utilize a pair of headphones to enjoy a few of his favorite classical compositions as his mind was left to its own devices. Who was he kidding? There was no possible timeline here in which simple headphones could block out the noise.

The ability of the girls to retain energy after a long and tumultuous day was quite impressive. Not a single individual among the forty two selected appeared to be lacking a will to live. While the odd aura of their high elevation cast a certain strange mood over the plane, it was easily shattered by the voices of the singing girls. Even Jadie, who had long since given up on scribbling away at paperwork, had seemed to accept the fact that they had been on this particular flight for twenty minutes and it would only get louder from here on out.

As he hadn't gotten around to mentally mapping the locations of all of the plane's inhabitants yet, Fitz had refrained from sourcing the greatest quantity of the noise itself. Perhaps it wasn't Scarlet and Cila, singing their hearts out, but the mischievous giggles of Aurelia, Alette, and Dakota.

"Hey, Fitz! Any chance that you, Sam, and Luke will start a boyband?" yelled Pandora, grinning, making a face at Sam as if proving a point. The most logical conclusion Fitz could achieve was that the girl had just accepted a dare from his youngest brother. A fatal mistake, in his opinion, but Pandora did seem to be one of the few people who managed to retain some semblance of sanity around Illea's youngest prince. That may have just been the miraculous properties of hair dyes past protecting her from brain damage, however.

Fitz leaned out into the aisle so he could properly glare at Sam, who was struggling to hide his smug grin. "No, Pandora. I don't believe any of us can actually sing. Sam believes he can, but the agonizing yowls that manage to escape from his bathroom and into the halls while he showers prove that he's best kept away from the activity," he responded.

Sam raised his hands up into the air as if surrendering as raucous laughter erupted from anyone who had heard Fitz's recent comment. Only allowing himself a slight moment of satisfaction before retreating back to his seat, Fitz did have to admit that Sam's rendition of century old pop songs such as Beyonce's famed "Single Ladies" should have been a form of capital punishment. He was rather surprised that Commander Aida hadn't made Sam an offer yet. They'd have all the rebel secrets in less than an hour.

It wasn't very long before the energetic group of mischievous comrades turned back into their private conversation. Fitz was perfectly happy with that, in fact, he preferred it that way. Better to talk to an individual who could hold a conversation with a relevant amount of meaning to it than to jabber about nothing simply because it was possible.

Take Atlantis, for instance. The three was absorbed in a book, far enough from Fitz that he couldn't' quite make out the title, but an apparently lengthy volume. Conversations with Atlantis tended to be productive and informative for both of the participants. It was a pleasant experience to debate with another who not only matched his intelligence, but most assuredly surpassed it. Never let it be said that Fitz didn't give credit when credit was due. Atlantis was undeniably brilliant.

Closer to him, only a few rows ahead, sat one of the selection's other notable minds. Stella Writer had earbuds in, connected to her phone, and appeared to be leafing through the pages of a novel similar in length to the one Atlantis was currently absorbed in. Stella's book was easily identifiable as one of the more popular science fiction novels of the day.

* * *

 **Queen Kriss's POV**

Night had fallen on the castle, and Illea's queen was a bright flame of rage in the darkened halls.

In one slightly trembling hand, she held four ziploc bags that held exactly 6,570 antidepressant pills. They were her husband's, recently discovered in a closet by accident, and were supposed to have been ingested every day for the last eighteen years. Not that it mattered anymore. Maxon had gone and hid them from her.

In her other hand, which was dripping some sort of liquid, she held a flash drive that had an illegible label stuck haphazardly onto its side. She'd only finished filming its contents a few minutes previously at the behest of Commander Aida. Kriss hadn't wanted to do anything after she'd found the pills, and had spent the day locked in a storage closet to count them individually so she could know how long her husband had been lying to her, but it was a civic responsibility.

After all, if Maxon wasn't going to do something about the southern rebels, then someone had to take on the job. Even if that meant she'd had to watch the commander slit the throat of a captured rebel. Being queen wasn't supposed to be easy, but it shouldn't have been like this…


	59. Turbulence

Prince Sam's POV

One underground train, one plane, and one road trip down. Around sixteen hours of travel. Not including the two hours they'd been on this plane, of course, and definitely not including the eighth and a half hours of being up in the air that they still had awaiting them.

It wasn't that bad, honestly. Sam had done worse. The flight to Italy that one time, when he'd been a toddler, had really been a nightmare, but that was a story for a whole other time. Though maybe not when Luke was around. He was pretty sure that Italy had been the time Luke had been left in a closet and they'd flown home to Illea without him. Sam might not have been the most intuitive of the three princes, but he knew when to avoid bringing up a topic if he didn't want his face smashed in.

Somehow, by some miracle, the palace staff had managed to get the selected on a commercial aircraft with no other passengers. Looking around, Sam had to admit that they certainly weren't being given any special treatment other than that. Besides the flight attendants all being older than his mother, it might have been a replica of a normal flight for a normal citizen.

Illea's youngest prince slumped back into his seat and attempted to collect his thoughts. Sure, he might not have been as fancy as Fitz, but that didn't mean he had to be a mess, right? Sam liked to make sure that the rare thoughts that floated into his head stayed there. He rolled his eyes without realizing what he was doing, and quickly whacked himself in the forehead with his hand. He'd gotten a little too used to joking about and hearing jokes about how his head was completely empty, if not full of teddy bear stuffing.

"September first, 1989. I believe I'm a good person. But sometimes, I look around me and wonder, what happened?" projected a familiar voice from somewhere in the back of the plane. It had to be Scarlet, given that she and Cila had recently decided upon doing "Heathers" before "Hamilton" and that Scarlet got to be the lead in the first of the two soundtracks.

From what he could tell, the two theater girls had somehow roped a good number of the selected into singing along with them. Aurelia, Katelin, Elizabeth, Willow, Dakota, Maizie, Pandora, and a few others were all recognizable among the ensemble part that followed Scarlet's opening. He was pretty sure Cila, Willow, and Dakota had been cast as the heathers by a vote, and that Elizabeth might have been taking the role of Martha. He'd tried to focus more on the details than he had when they'd gone through the book of mormon soundtrack before this.

Although most people didn't know it, Sam had done his research on the popular musical soundtracks of the last few centuries. Whether it was "Dear Evan Hansen" or "Les Miserables", Sam had listened to it, mainly as an excuse for not doing anything boring during the history session of tutoring. Jadie didn't like it, but had usually given in after some arguing.

A bright flicker in front of him brought him back to investigating the small screen on the back of the seat directly ahead. It currently showed a map of Illea, with their flight path traced over it in easy-to-see crimson. After a few seconds, it switched to a closer, labelled version of the map. Another few seconds, and a screen showing the time in different time zones showed up, then it went back to the first map. He'd thought he'd heard something earlier about using the screens to watch movies, which no one was doing yet, given the amount of noise.

He pressed the first button he saw on the tiny gray panel underneath the screen. It was the only button on the panel, besides the little place where headphones could be plugged in. Flickering, the screen changed to a menu of sorts, making Sam's eyes light up at the large number of opportunities to annoy other travellers on the plane. Jadie was lucky that it was just their group.

Tapping through a variety of options, Sam soon came across something that looked fun. It seemed like a special set of communication options had been enabled for their flight, labelled as being an experimental service provided by the airline. The only one that really struck Sam immediately as being useful was a feature similar to texting, where you could link your phone up to the screen using an almost invisible opening next to the headphone jack. It would then let you send messages to other screens or phones if they were linked up.

In Sam's opinion, this was both brilliant and a huge mistake. He could rickroll every person on the plane with this! It even allowed him to select a passenger to send it to, making it much too easy for a lazy prankster like himself to target some and ask others to help.

"Anything to drink, your highness?" a warm voice caused him to turn to his right. With a cart piled with sodas and juices in front of her, a gray-haired flight attendant with a kind face was smiling at him as she poured out two cups for Taylor and Chiara, probably some sort of flavored water or something. Neither of the girls looked like they'd enjoy anything that was actually fun. He might hold out judgement on Taylor, but Chiara wasn't really the type of person he'd get along well with. Too quiet, honestly.

Sam tore his attention away from the screen and grinned at the flight attendant. "No, thanks, but just call me Sam. No formality necessary, save that for Mr. Better-than-Thou over there. Fitz is the one who cares about that kind of stuff," he replied, his mind doing the rare action of thinking, particularly about how this woman would have made a great grandmother.

The flight attendant smiled. "If you insist, dearie. I'd heard that you weren't very well-behaved, but I can see that the briefing was quite wrong. I told them that this one would probably just have a sense of humor, but did they listen? Of course not! I'm Dorothea Monroe, by the way. Serving Illean Airlines for most of my life. I'm a six, but when you're up in the air and flying around the globe, that title doesn't mean so much anymore," said Dorothea, the smile lines around her face tightening as she beamed in his direction.

As she began moving, Sam remembered something. "Ms. Monroe? Did you get to talk to Kinsey?" he asked, shuffling his backpack closer to his seat so it wouldn't get run over by the drink cart. Ms. Monroe nodded, giving him another kindly smile before asking Abrielle Crossdale if she wanted anything.

Instead of playing around with the messaging service, like he was going to earlier, Sam began to think about the selection. Thinking. What an odd concept for him. Well, it didn't matter, but the thought of Kinsey brought up how different this selection was supposed to be from the last one. Apparently, Illea had been much more prejudiced and concerned with castes twenty years ago, and it was shocking when America Singer had made it so far in the competition. Nowadays, the caste system was relaxing a little, but only in a few areas.

Take Kinsey, for instance. Sam thought her job of flying around the world was completely awesome. Just as cool, in fact, as Alette's race car driving, or Pandora's urban art. Just as interesting as Aurelia's gardening. He really didn't care about castes, or understand the need for them, given that they were also the thing causes death and destruction from the rebels.

Sam's face turned down. If he was taking time to actually think for once, he wanted to think of something fun. Not something that gave him that never felt tingly-twinge of nerves in his stomach. Something like practical jokes, or putting shaving cream on a pie. Dakota had suggested that during the first prank council meeting. Suddenly, his face lit up again, and Sam whipped out his phone from his pocket. He accidentally tugged it away from the charger that was plunged into the outlet under the seat, and made sure to put it back.

Opening a note, and naming it "Selection", Sam got to work. He started by making a list of the girls, then using that list to make three separate lists where he sorted them by which one of his brothers and him they seemed to like the most. In some cases, it was more like hate the least. He also remembered to exclude Katelin and Willow, who went in a little box at the bottom.

Who did he think would go well with Luke? Resorting to slang terms, Sam began to think of the numerous ships that had been circulating around the interwebs since the selection began. There were a few forums that were dedicated to the subject, though they often forgot about Luke like the world so often seemed to do. Sam personally couldn't tell who his brother would like, as he honestly didn't spend as much time with him as he should since the selection started, but did have a few ideas.

Cosette was incredibly sweet, and Luke seemed to like her. Isa was the motherly type, and Abrielle had already gone on a seemingly successful date with his brother, while Taylor and Jessica both seemed to have the quiet personality that his brother often showed. Of course, he was going on a date with Neaera, and with Scarlet as well.

That reminded Sam of his plans with Cila. He and Luke had ended up making a plan to take Scarlet and Cila to a performance of "The King and I" while they were in Hawaii, and it sort of functioned as a double date. That had lead to Luke asking Neaera if she wanted to do something because she'd overheard the conversation with Scarlet. Sam honestly didn't care if anyone overheard him asking Cila, since he'd make sure they'd all get their turn eventually. He was kind of excited for them after the one with Mae had gone so well.

From what he knew, Luke had actually read the book that the musical was based off. It was called Anna and the King of Siam, or something. Was SIam in New Asia, or part of the separatists? Probably the second thing. The countries that used to be known as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore had ended up putting up walls to keep New Asia out, and were now one country-thing.

That brought him back to history, which brought him back to musical soundtracks, which, after turning off his phone and making sure it was still charging on the seat next to him, brought him back to the mass singalong in the back. They were still on Heathers, and had actually finished the kind of long first musical number. It seemed like someone had yelled at them to be quiet, though, since the volume was still ear-shattering but a little less painful.

His usual moment of thought was popped when some turbulence or something made the pilots make an announcement. "Please continue to keep your seat belts on and in your seat besides the times where you need to relieve yourself. We will be experiencing a bit of turbulence, and we're sorry to say that it may continue for the rest of the flight,"

Ms. Monroe, who was backing her cart down the aisle to get back to the little flight attendant station at the back, gave him a reassuring smile. "It's not a storm, dearie, there's just a lot of wind over the west coast and the pacific this high up. Don't know what caused it, and can't be noticed from the ground. Might just be something that only affect planes and not clouds, but I wouldn't know that, would I? Nevertheless, keep yourself safe, dearie!" said Ms. Monroe, not really helping ease Sam's totally, completely nonexistent tiny patch of worry.

However, Sam did know what was causing it. It was the ventilators, the attempt of a few scientists to reduce pollution long ago that had kind of just turned into a weird section of unpredictable winds over the west of Illea. He'd heard that it started in the midwest and continued until the middle of the pacific.

He had no idea how they worked, and didn't really care to, but he'd heard that they made air travel a little bumpy on flights that were unregistered with them. And, after that security breach five years ago, Jadie definitely wouldn't have let their flight have been registered. No one would have. They'd be shot out of the sky by the rebels before any of them could even scream and run around like the bunch of headless chickens they all turned into during emergencies.

It only took a few minutes for the turbulence to start, causing the girls in the back to stop singing and start talking in hushed whispers. A weird murmuring blanket of muffled sounds had fallen on the plane, causing the completely wonderful noise that had been in full swing seconds before to suddenly stop without warning.

Even Ms. Monroe seemed to be strapped into one of the seats reserved for flight attendants at the back of the plane, the ones that folded out from the side of the plane at a moment's notice. All of the girls with window seats were peering anxiously out of them to find the source of the turbulence. Sam was on an aisle row, all alone, and didn't have access to a window. He just had to lean back and forth to attempt to see behind the girls nearest to him that were blocking the windows.

"Maizie, sit down!" yelled a voice from behind him. Sam turned around in his seat to see Maizie exiting the bathroom and walking up the aisle, probably having missed the announcement while she was doing her business. He couldn't tell who was yelling, but he could definitely tell that Maizie would be in serious trouble if a bad spot of turbulence shook the plane.

Of course, just as she was passing his seat, the plane started to bump up and down. A startled Maizie ended up falling sideways, collapsing straight into the row that he was in and almost knocking him out into the other aisle. His seatbelt saved him, but just barely. He heaved himself up from the awkward sideways position he was in, thankful that his backpack had been stopped from sliding out by a conveniently placed foot. Evangeline was sitting in the right window row behind Taylor and Chiara, and had managed to extend her leg to save it.

Sam suddenly realized that Maizie was still struggling to get herself upright. "Hey, Maizie? You might just want to stay here. It's not worth trying to get back up to the very front of the plane," said Sam, helping her sit up. She immediately looked out into the left aisle, peering longingly at her bags. Luckily, Sam had just the thing.

"Thanks, Sam, but are you sure? I kind of need my bag," replied Maizie, giving him an odd look when she saw him hurriedly tapping something out on his phone, which he'd just connected to his screen. A few seconds later, a backpack went sliding down the left aisle. Jadie Flores leaned out to the right, glared at Sam, then disappeared when he returned her scowl with a cheery wave of thanks. Maizie looked at him, then back at her bag, then back at him. She then scooped it up and repeated the process.

"No problem. And, hey, look, you've even got your bag! I had Jadie slide it back for you. Everything's good. The ventilator thingymajigs from a while back are interfering with the flight since we're not officially listed, for purposes of staying safe, so it might be a bit of a bumpy ride on the way back," grinned Sam, leaning back in his seat.

The ginger-haired five smiled up at him. "Well, thanks! Sorry about this, though. Jadie doesn't seem happy. I was sitting with Elizabeth and Aurelia, but they'll be fine with a bit more space," responded Maizie, shoving her bag under the chair in front of her. Something behind Sam made her tense and practically growl, but when he turned around, he just saw Evangeline innocently reading a magazine with her eyelashes tilted down. Sam shrugged it off, and turned back to Maizie.

He frowned. "Something bothering you?" he asked, but Maizie quickly shook her head. A quick glance back at Evangeline showed him that she hadn't moved, so he supposed there wasn't any silent communication going on between the two girls that honestly didn't really seem to like each other very much.

Maizie began rifling down in her backpack to find something. A few seconds later, she came back with some snacks and a tablet. "I ended up having time to download the video of the America Singer center performance onto my tablet. They initially were going to let us watch it all together, but then they didn't have time because of packing, so they gave us the opportunity to download it onto whatever devices we were taking so we could watch it then. Care to join me?" inquired the acrobat. Nodding, Sam watched as she unlocked the tablet, bringing up the video.

Sam grinned, and set down his phone, disconnecting his earbuds so he could plug them into the second headphone thingy on her tablet. It wasn't long before Maizie had gotten out her own earbuds. Maizie pressed the play button on the video, and, with the two of them leaning slightly towards each other so they could see, they settled down to ride out the turbulence together.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Look, I managed to get a chapter out in less than two weeks! Wow!**

 **I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to do anything special last chapter, giving that it was the one year anniversary of when this messed-up jumble of words first peeked out of the nest as a fledgeling SYOC from a writer who had been happily following other Selection fanfics for months before daring to start their own. Now, over a year later, we've made it to over 460 reviews. Real people actually read this story, and care about the characters. Somehow, the readers haven't come after me to demand that I get rid of Katelin or magically bring Paul the gardener back to life. It's been over a year. In that year, I went through what was probably one of the hardest phases of change and growth in my life, dealing with mental and emotional issues that required me to have to focus on my schoolwork a little more than I would like to. I channeled my passions into the story, and, in return, you all somehow ended up deciding that I wasn't mentally addled. For that, I thank you. And I'd like to make sure you all know it.**


	60. Over the Horizon

Prince Luke's POV

 _Ten._ His mother, brown eyes set on something ahead, forcefully ignoring the blonde-haired child that desperately attempted to run behind her. He could never catch her, or her love, although the five-year-old still had some hope left in his tear-filled chocolate-colored eyes. It took ten years for him to give up, a sliver of pain working its way into his heart and staying firmly implanted their for week after week, month after month.

 _Nine._ His father, patting him on the head before shooting him out of his office and firmly closing the door. On his tiptoes, he could peek through the keyhole, and he watched the King of Illea collapse into his hair and put his head in his hands. Brown eyes that were filled with tears dripped onto the mahogany desk before the grieving king wiped them away and stood to retrieve a file from the corner of the room. The blonde-haired boy swiftly walked away from the door, frustrated and confused.

 _Eight._ His older brother, hands clasped behind his back and his posture as straight as a ruler, giving a presentation on the history of Illea for their tutor at the time. Brown eyes that flickered with ambition, with sharp guile, with cleverness that impressed the never-ending series of tutors that came before the only one that managed to stay all the way through the years. Crisp articulation and convincing words. A boy who everyone wanted to rule, watched by his forlorn blonde-haired triplet.

 _Seven._ His younger brother, running through the halls and screaming with delight. Laughter echoed through the stairways and caused the palace staff to flatten themselves against the walls to avoid the whirling dervish that threatened their remarkable cleaning job from the last incident. A blonde-haired boy peered out from behind a tall plant and his brown-haired brother grinned at him. Brown eyes sparkling with humor and a devastating laughter that could topple mountains.

 _Six._ His tutor, the woman with smooth cocoa skin, gently smiling at him the day she first came to work at the palace. The blonde-haired boy, from that day forwards, never noticed how she never forgot him but always felt a little bit of comfort in her presence. Dark, almost black, brown eyes that occasionally welled up with motherly love and affection that he had been missing his entire life.

 _Five._ The girl. The lost one, who could have passed off for a daring adventurer but was really a terrified victim of more horrors than that blonde-haired boy could ever imagine. He'd managed to forget that day, where he'd really first seen her, where she was begging her mother to let her stay and recounting every single one of the terrible things she had endured her whole life just because of the way her mind worked. Hazel eyes more fit for a war veteran than for a teenager.

 _Four._ The commander. Always lurking in the back of the conference room. The basement floors of the palace were her domain, the cave of the dragon that was to be feared above all others, and there was no use hiding from her. Brown eyes that were actually black, void of emotion, following the inhabitants of her realm with the care of a god watching the puny mortals scurry about and make sacrifices to the higher power above them.

 _Three._ The gardener. The friend, the one who'd stopped him when he'd ran through the garden with neon-colored paint dumped over his head and with the laughter of the entire palace trailing in his wake. A kind face. He had set down his trowel and motioned to a bench, listening like no one else would, and eventually helping the blonde-haired sixteen year old clean himself up. Brown eyes that always had time, always were ready to listen, and now had mysteriously vanished.

 _Two._ Himself. The forgotten, the unknown. The one who got so good at running away from the family that ignored him that he started to make it into a hobby. The blonde-haired boy who repressed the memories, who made his life seem less than it really was, the blonde-haired boy who'd come to feel the affection he should have felt for his mother in a tutor and for his brother in a gardener. Brown eyes that were downcast and couldn't quite bring themselves to look in a mirror.

 _One._ Forty four, now forty two, pairs of eyes in all colors of the spectrum. Lost. Broken. Hiding. Scheming. Loving. Caring. Worried. Kind. Brave. They were all different, and were all windows into the souls of those who possessed them. Forty two girls sitting on a very bumpy plane that was what the blonde-haired boy had tried to block out when he first closed his eyes, seven hours into the flight with only four more left until they reached their destination.

A jolt of the plane caused Luke to lurch forwards into his seat, his seatbelt useless as he rocked into the back of the seat in front of him. It didn't refrain from practically cutting his torso in half, though. Luke made sure to loosen it as soon as he was back in an upright position.

Honestly, the way the winds viciously bounced the plane around, it was almost as if the ancient Greek personifications of the winds were deciding to toy with them. Curse that stupid Ventrillator and the need for inventor who decided to funnel extra winds against planes when unidentified had some questionable motives.

The same murmurs that had filled the plane for the last four hours were still continuing. Earlier, he'd had the unusually loud sing along to keep him from slipping into the deep whirlpool of darkness, but the worries of everyone else had caused the singing to turn into quiet conversations amongst close friends. Had it really been four weeks since the girls had arrived at the palace? It was September first, and they'd arrived on August fourth. It had almost been a month.

In less than a month, he'd somehow managed to free himself from Katelin, although he didn't know the real story behind what had happened to her that made her dread going home so much and caused her to make her way halfway across the country to find her mother at the palace. He'd also come to appreciate Jadie a bit more, too.

When he tried to subtly lean out into the aisle to look for Jadie, just to make sure she was doing okay with her clipboards and packets, he spotted Evangeline not-so-subtly watching his younger brother. Luke knew that Maizie was currently sitting with Sam, as he could hear her voice coming from the seat besides him. Since he wasn't sure what to make of the six, he made the typical decision to leave that matter well enough alone and perhaps allow Sam to deal with it himself.

A thought struck Luke, and his face flushed red. Nope. No, he was not going to think about that. Not going to allow himself to think about the very illegal and potentially stupid decisions his brother might be making. The thought made him sick to his stomach, making him want to hid under a seat and never come back out.

The crackle of the intercom interrupted his disgust. "Attention, passengers. We have just received word that a broadcast featuring the Queen of Illea has recently been aired. The video will appear on your screens in the next few moments. Please be aware that the recording and filming of this video, according to Ms. Flores, was completed today without any approval from her or her associates. She will have no answers to any questions you might have,"

Luke felt a sinking sensation in the hollows of his chest. A broadcast? With his mother? This couldn't be a trivial matter, or one to take lightly. And, sure enough, the solemn face of Kriss Schreave filled the screens of every passenger on the plane.

"Hello, citizens of Illea. I'm here today with a message. Not only is this for your benefit, but the benefit of those who will follow after you. Do not be afraid. The incident in question was a rare occurrence, and we seek to prevent it from ever happening again," said the Queen, eyes focused intently on the camera, her voice clear and articulate. Only Luke, from his years of watching in the shadows for any trace of acknowledgement from her, could tell that his mother was scared.

The scene cut away from his mother's elegantly pinned hair and lacy blouse. A damp and dark basement appeared, the walls made of stone, and what he saw playing out in front of him made his very blood run cold with the sort of terror that no one should have ever felt when seeing their own mother.

She was kneeling on the floor, directly in front of the body of Gilly, the rebel girl. Wait- no. Gilly stirred, her chest painfully rising and falling, the only indication that she was alive. A very hastily dressed bullet wound was visible beneath the bloody bandages that wrapped around her stomach. Hadn't someone said that the rebels had killed the girl? They must not have done quite as good of a job as they had originally thought they'd done. His attention turned back from Gilly, at least he thought that was her name, to his mother.

Kriss seemed to be attempting to help the girl, the rebel that had been knocked out by Fitz and Lark during the attack on the practice center during rehearsals. Luke squirmed in his seat. That day brought back bad memories. He knew that the pale faces of the girls near him showed that they were remembering the attack as well.

It was kind of weird, seeing his mother try to help someone when she'd seemed to forget about his existence for most of his life. There was no denying the kindness in her face as she examined Gilly. Her movements suddenly became frantic. "Oh, no, this can't happen. Guards! Get a doctor. Aida, please, I need help. Why haven't her wounds been properly addressed?" yelped Kriss, panicked, and Luke knew the worried feeling visible in her eyes. He'd felt it way too many times before.

The image jumped again, but this time to a scene that showed Gilly heaving out a last breath as the Queen of Illea held her hand. There were tears glittering in the eyes of a mother who was watching a stranger, and an enemy, let her last gasp of breath fizzle out of her body.

Blackness. And then, a voice. "Gillian Rodriguez, a citizen of Sonage, died after being shot by her former allies. She was a member of the sole remaining group of rebels, those who have called themselves the Stars of Freedom, and was brought to the palace for interrogation and medical care after an attack earlier in the month. However, a recent attack on the palace lead to her being brutally shot on the stomach and desecrated with the group's symbol carved onto her back," It was easily identifiable as his mother.

"They say they want freedom. But from what? It cannot possibly justify their inhuman methods and cruel way of operating. I tried to help Gilly, as she liked to be known, but nothing could be done for the poor girl. And, people of Illea, I say this to you: We are not the enemy," continued Queen Kriss.

And, with that, the broadcast ended. Silence swallowed the plane and made his heartbeat pound against his chest. Luke knew why the rebels wanted freedom, and what they wanted it from. The one thing his mother had failed to mention was that they all knew that the castes were wrong, but did nothing about it. While the rest of the plane suddenly erupted in conversation, most of it based around an attempt to distract themselves, Luke found himself feeling nauseous. Dang it. He was definitely going to puke.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, worried because he knew that they were still in a bumpy spot, but he'd rather puke in the bathroom than be sick all over himself or someone else. Luke wasn't exactly a squeamish sort of person. However, today was different, and the conflicting emotions and thoughts inside him were all about to erupt.

Jadie started to yell something to him, but seemed to understand from his greenish complexion and shaking limbs that he was about to reintroduce whatever food he'd eaten in the past day or so. The majority of the girls turned towards him as well. Some, like Isa and Cosette, looked tempted to rush over and help him, but the blinking seatbelt sign made them reconsider long enough to let him stumble into the cramped airplane bathroom and quickly close the door.

He had only just made it in the nick of time. A loud retch, followed by a sickening splat into the toilet, came in a matter of seconds. A bump caused him to fall against the wall, and he ended up doubling over on the ground, knelt in front of the disgusting airplane toilet-like basin, clutching his aching stomach.

Airplane bathrooms were admittedly gross. This particular space of unkempt terror was a bit neater than most, even after six hours of travel, but Luke still felt the overwhelming desire to burn the pants he was wearing as they brushed the floor beneath him. Although he'd never waste clothes like that. He might have been a resident of the palace and a prince, but that didn't mean he could take anything in his life for granted. Sometimes having the most made it easier to imagine the least.

Murmurs of conversation were audible when Luke tilted his head in the direction of the door, still making sure to keep his head over the toilet as the gnawing ache in his stomach threatened to spill over once more.

Luke didn't want to eavesdrop, but the conversation was unmistakably about why he'd run into the bathroom right after the video. He could hear Scarlet, Cila, and a few others girls sitting near the back of the plane in relative closeness to the bathrooms discussing various theories. Scarlet seemed to be saying something about his mother. His stomach lurched, but since his mind was consumed with the desire to not worry them by loudly expelling his earlier meals, he tried to make himself not puke. It worked, at least for now.

Pathetically, after trying to wash his hands just because the airplane bathroom felt like it needed to have a boat of hand sanitizer dumped on it, Luke eased himself down the wall and nearly ended up with his head in the toilet when a sudden burst of turbulence caused him to jolt forwards.

Maybe it would have been smart to bring one of those barf bags into the bathroom with him. He wasn't quite positive on whether or not he'd rather carry that around instead of ending up inches away from the gray "toilet" anytime the plane bumped around, but he did know that he couldn't exactly open the door and ask Scarlet for one and then rudely return to his sealed-off misery inside the fluorescently-lit haven of pain.

They only had four hours left until they reached Hawaii. Luke could make it, or so he told himself. He tried to convince his mind that he would be sitting back in his seat in no time flat, distracting himself from thoughts of his mother with a good novel. Everything would be fine, right?

The likeness of his stomach ceasing it's constant aching and letting him enjoy the remaining four hours of the flight in peace were slim to none. Thank goodness there was another available bathroom across from this one. It also helped that the number of passengers was reduced, what with the plane being comprised of just the selected, Jadie, and his brothers. Less people who needed to relieve themselves meant less people trying to bust down this door in an emergency.

There had been a time, a few years previously, when Luke had taken shelter in one of the lower level half-bathrooms for a considerable few hours after Sam had been annoying the living daylights out of him. A few maids had nearly taken a broom to the door as a makeshift battering ram because they'd been convinced he needed assistance.

Unfortunately, his stomach didn't want to continue to cooperate, and Luke was retching over the toilet in a span of two seconds. The sour, almost bitter, taste of the bile in his throat made him want to gag. Well, gag even more, since he was already kind of throwing up and that was pretty bad on its own. This was much worse than the last time he'd gotten sick. That had just been a cold, although he might have used all of the tissues in Illea before it was cured.

Luke wanted water. Retching a second time had made him feel a little better, but he knew that his stomach problems might return. He'd probably be able to get to his seat without throwing up. And, if he really needed to, he could just pathetically do a combination of sprinting and crawling down the aisle to make it back.

And so, after a required hand washing that was rather thorough, perhaps overly so, Luke stood up as best he could and slid open the bathroom door, causing the florescent lights to automatically turn off as soon as he was out of the bathroom. A few heads turned to him. He made himself keep going, walking down the aisle with his eyes on his seat, focusing on standing up and not collapsing into a puddle on the middle of the floor. He couldn't help catching Maisynn's eye, but forced himself to keep moving.

The middle prince of Illea nearly opened his mouth in relief when he sat down and fastened his seatbelt, but upon deciding that he wasn't going to open it unless it was necessary, ended up creating a strange sort of burping noise in the back of his throat. This plane ride was going terribly.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Poor Luke. Sometimes I feel bad for inflicting pain and misery on the middle triplet, but everything should turn out alright in the end. I think. If we ever get there, that is. Next chapter, thankfully, we'll be back with Fitz and arriving at the actual airport in Maui! After months of preparation, they'll actually be on the island, no longer traveling or packing or even rehearsing for another event altogether. With any luck, I'll be able to write a little more frequently if I can get myself back into the routine, but at least we made it this far. Don't forget to review, as they make my day and inspire me to write more, and the next chapter will hopefully be out in the next week or so.**


	61. Welcome to the Island

Prince Fitz's POV

A cool breeze fluttered across his face, dancing through the short strands of hair upon his head and gently caressing his skin. Late afternoon sunshine dappled on the ground in puddles of gold, illuminating tile floors speckled with a curious pattern not unsimilar to that of a bird's egg. The skylights on the ceiling twisted the light into odd shapes. It provided a mystical, almost ethereal feeling to the fairly warm enviroment. The heat was kinder than the brazen warmth of Angeles in summer, almost like a long-lost friend.

The cacophonous array of untimely footsteps surrounding him led any passerby to think that they were being greeted with a large army, a rather disorganized one at that, although no self-respecting army would be happily sipping on smoothies with their carry-on suitcases rolling behind them.

Fitzroy Clarkson Schreave, eldest prince of Illea, sighed and shook his head. Such were the consequences of Jadie allowing the girls to descend upon the airport cafe like a flock of angry waterfowl protecting their young. A phalanx of tired, yet excited, young adults on their way to the baggage claim. Despite the long day of traveling, no one appeared to be even in the slightest bit tired, not even remotely jetlagged. He supposed they'd feel the adverse effects of flying across the country and back soon enough.

Up ahead, a narrow escalator was causing Jadie to hastily attempt to organize the unshapely blob into a single-file line. It was almost comical. Fitz, of course, found himself near the front of the pack, but still behind Jadie after she had practically sprinted towards the forwards section of the group after her disastrous attempts at organization.

He stepped onto the escalator, narrowly dodging Elizabeth and her extremely full backpack. "Gah! Sorry, Fitz," apologized the blonde-haired three, expelling some of the blood from her nose into a tissue with a wet sounding snuffle. She folded up the tissue into a neat little square, the blood inside soaking the tissue red, and pulled out another from her pocket just to be better safe than sorry. Fitz waved it off, giving her a small smile before turning his attention back to the head of the group.

This wasn't dissimilar to the airport in labrador where they had bid farewell to the Stringfellow High School marching band. A sign pointed them to the baggage claim, which was where Jadie was ushering the others as soon as they stepped off the escalator. However, unlike in Labrador, a ukulele quartet was currently present in the general area of the baggage claim.

Jadie, waving him over, pointed him in the direction of his familiar navy blue suitcase. Between that, his carry-on roller, and his backpack, he'd managed to pack enough necessities for the next four weeks. They were all rather unwieldy, however, but much lighter than the three bags Elizabeth was stubbornly attempting to carry by herself. She'd already given Willow a potent death glare because the taller three had tried to offer assistance. Katelin, a few paces away, was trying to keep from laughing at her friends.

He quickly heaved his suitcase off of the moving baggage wheel and strode over to Jadie to discover what their next plan of attack would be. Fitz paused, allowing her to sufficiently yell at the stragglers who were just stepping off the escalator before he gave a very slight cough into his fist, directed in the purpose of catching her attention.

"Ah, Fitz, good. I suppose you're here for the itinerary for the way to the condos," she said, continuing when he nodded. "I'm going to have each set of roommates, four in all because of the condo, in their own car. They can pick one of them to drive. We've already set up rental cars. You'll be driving with your brothers and myself. I'll be giving you directions, and we'll be in the front of the caravan. I made sure to assign Atlantis to the rear earlier because I can trust her to not attempt anything foolish,"

Fitz allowed himself a small smile once more. He was quite pleased that Jadie and Atlantis were getting along well. Jadie wasn't exactly the type to easily make friends, so this was an improvement. Both women could probably use someone like that. They were also closest in age, though that wasn't saying very much. Atlantis was 21, Jadie was 34.

Now that he was cogitating about it, Jadie was rather young to have an eighteen-year-old daughter. A tiny thought escaped from the hidden depths of his mind, startling him. Katelin's father, the famous actor Torin Lee, quite obviously didn't get along well with Jadie, and Katelin always seemed to go into a state of pale fright whenever he was mentioned. Making a mental note to look into that particular Issue later, Fitz turned his attention back to the growing group of girls around Jadie and himself.

The planner waited a fraction of a second, then launched herself into a detailed explanation of the plan to travel to where they'd be in residence for the next two fortnights. He listened attentively, not wanting to miss any other details that she might have omitted in her rapid explanation a few minutes earlier, pausing only to glare at Sam when he spotted the youngest of the three triplets doing something on his phone in the very back of the group. Sam stuck his tongue out in a rude and juvenile gesture before ducking into the mass of girls.

Luke, however, seemed to be paying just as much attention as Fitz was to Jadie's careful instructions. Fitz had only noticed him because he was standing near where Sam had been seconds previously, and was rather surprised, given that he was accustomed to overlooking the middle triplet in most situations.

Jadie concluded her speech, and began to shoo the girls in the direction of the shuttle that would take them to the rental car establishment like she was a border collie and they were a mob of unruly geese. Fitz had no particular stance on the deliberate waterfowl, but could definitely assert that Jadie made a wonderful herding dog. If they had been in centuries past, she would have done quite well as a shepherd. Though that women could probably do anything if she put her mind to it.

Hurried footsteps led Fitz to promptly grasp the handles of his bags and proceed to follow the rest of the group in the direction of the door. Above, a sign pronounced the rental car establishment shuttle to be directly outside of the exit hat they were currently streaming towards with rapid footfalls and the loud screeching of luggage on tile.

Forty six people would be a rather tight squeeze on a relatively small shuttle bus. Nevertheless, Jadie lead the way to the small glass pavilion with a minute sign swaying miserably in the slight breeze. Looking around at the group, Fitz saw the girls happily breathing in the island air, excitedly pointing out the distant mountains and tropical foliage to each other as they slowed to a stop. Thankfully, there weren't any other tourists there to chase away, otherwise the behavior of a few girls in particular would have guaranteed their group a shuttle to themselves.

Given that Illonie was nearby, Fitz elected to take the time to strike up a conversation. The tour guide seemed to be at ease in their present situation. She had even grabbed a map and a few other pamphlets from the information desk earlier, the one near the baggage claim, since she'd been one of the first to arrive at the high-ceilinged wing of the building.

Ensuring that his bag wasn't damaged, as he had rolled over a rather large rock earlier, Fitz took the opportunity to step within a range of which polite conversation could be held in relation to Illonie's current position on the pavement. "Hello, Illonie. I hope your flight was pleasant. It's quite exciting that we're finally at our destination. The plane rides were rather tedious, especially the last one, but it's certainly a relief to be back on solid ground, and even more to be in the great outdoors once more after extended periods of being inside," said Fitz.

Illonie, true to form, gave him a small smile and nodded in response to his statement. "Hi, Fitz. I think I'm most looking forwards to seeing where we'll be staying for the next four weeks, honestly, though the fact that we're here is pretty exciting," responded the dark-haired six, absentmindedly folding one of her maps as her eyes met his own. Much like himself, Illonie had obvious dark circles under her eyes, due to lack of sleep over packing during the week previously and the exhausting day of traveling across the country, back, and farther.

However, that was nothing a bit of caffeine couldn't fix. After the morning's early rise, though he wasn't quite sure if it really counted as this morning at all. It had been much too easy to lose track of time when passing through more time zones than he could count on one hand and then back through most of them again.

His watch, which had updated to the current time zone when they'd landed and he'd had time to quickly calibrate it, told him that it was currently late afternoon. Ten hours, six hours, five hours, and layovers meant that it was at least a day later, and a few hours more than the current time in Angeles due to the time zones. Cogitating about Angeles made his thoughts rapidly flicker to those of his mother, but he swiftly suppressed them in favor of retaining his compurse. It required an extreme amount of effort because of his exhaustion.

A shout from the outskirts of the group drew his attention. One of the girls had spotted the shuttle bus arriving, and had made the executive decision to alert the group of its impending arrival. At that moment, Jadie, who had been attempting to explain to an elderly couple why it would be necessary to take the next shuttle, quickly did a subtle headcount.

The shout was identifiable, after a moment, as of being from Aurelia, who was excitedly chattering with Maizie and a few other of the more energetic girls in their little group. Katelin and her associates were almost as far away from them as possible, almost as if they were attempting to distance themselves from anyone who sought to burst their eardrums with screams and such. Elizabeth, in particular, had seemed to be very protective of her above-average hearing at numerous instances in the past.

A loud creak from the exhaust pipe signalled that the shuttle bus had parked, which led to the forty six of them hoisting their bags and forming an unruly mass near the unopened doors of the shuttle. Much to his surprise, the driver opened a second, smaller door at the back of the shuttle, and began signalling for the girls to let him load their suitcases into the shuttle.

The resulting mob of luggage was almost as large as the one of the girls who had quickly transferred their bags to the waiting line before going back to their original position in front of the still closed doors of the shuttle bus. It was most likely that the driver would load all of the suitcases onto the shuttle before opening the doors and letting the girls attempt to cram themselves into every little bit of avaliable space on the method of transportation. The man didn't particularly seem to mind the fact that they would be over the maximum capacity for the shuttle.

Illonie remained close to him, not quite within the range of which initialing a conversation would be acceptable in, but close enough that she could still be considered nearby. Fitz had found himself in the very back of the teeming mass of individuals, much to his relief, as he saw Jadie's exasperation at the front of the queue as she attempted to herd them into an orderly line.

At last, after approximately three short minutes of waiting, the driver proceeded to load the final suitcase into the shuttle and close the back doors with a loud and rather final sounding thud. He then made his way through the crowd, which parted like the red sea. The driver demonstrated an appropriate amount of caution as he unlocked the passenger entrance doors and boarded first, Jadie practically throwing herself in front of the doors so the girls wouldn't stampede and crush the poor man who deigned to take on this terrible task.

It was only after the girls filed into a neat and orderly line that Jadie allowed them to begin boarding the shuttle. They moved rather quickly, causing Fitz to find himself stepping onto the shuttle and squeezing himself into the miniscule amount of avaliable square footage that he was able to locate upon first glance.

"Everyone, hold on! Not to each other, please, to the metal bar on the ceiling. If you can't reach it, use on of the vertical ones, or merely resort to jumping and hoping you can hang on," shouted Jadie, having to yell to be heard above the raucous noise that was the engine of the shuttle. The cacophony almost drowned out her words. However, many of the girls were intelligent enough to follow her instructions simply by using logic, and swiftly ensured their compatriots weren't thrown into the walls by centrifugal force.

A curious event was in place at the rear end of the vehicle. Maizie, always the acrobat, had made a point to take Jadie's command quite literally, although how she'd heard it in the very back was rather beyond Fitz. Nevertheless, Maizie O'Keeffe was dangling off the metal beam across the ceiling with a pleased expression on her freckled face.

Sighing, Jadie merely opted to shake her head and give Maizie a potent glare before focusing her energy on refraining from falling down the stairs and into the door. She had elected to remain near the driver, although she would have had to take the position even in another timeline because of the cramped nature of the shuttle. Maizie, apparently delighted with being allowed to hang from the ceiling for the four minute ride to the rental car establishment, proceeded to flip herself over the beam and then return to her original hanging position.

The trend caught on to the other acrobatically capable members of the selected congregation mere seconds later. Out of all of the girls, a select few had participated in an acrobatics routine during the American Singer Center Performance about a week previously, and they were putting their skills to the test. Or to the ceiling, as it were.

Katelin was the first to sling herself up to the ceiling, nearly kicking Elizabeth in the face and having to twist herself away at a supremely awkward angle to avoid doing so. Elizabeth, thankfully, had a rather admirable sense of humor, which was necessary when dealing with one such as Katelin Flores-Lee, and let out a short laugh that sounded like a mongoose in the throes of hyperventilating and slowly beginning to asphyxiate. Not that he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing a hyperventilating mongoose, though it would have made for quite the study.

The two girls that were currently on the ceiling shared a quick smile at Jadie's peeved expression and gesture for Pandora, Maisynn, and Aurelia to join them. Of course, Maisynn and Aurelia were rather cautious, in regards to Jadie at least, and opted to remain safety where they were. Pandora, however, attempted to give the stunt a quick try.

Unfortunately, the worst occurrence of the shuttle ride immediately followed Pandora's whoops of delight as she found herself hanging in midair and attempting to refrain from whacking anyone in the head of chest with her legs. Sam, seeing that two of the selected were enjoying something fun that was causing Jadie gray hair and a migraine without his involvement, hastily tried to jump up and grab the beam across the ceiling, only succeeding in nearly elbowing someone in the face. Fitz couldn't quite tell who it was.

Sam, obviously, had to try again, giving the pesky and persistent nature of the youngest of the three royal Schreave triplets. This time, however, he managed to get himself up. If Maizie could do it, Sam was going to prove that he could, even though he was shorter than Fitz or even Luke. He was taller than Maizie, at least, though that really didn't count for very much at all.

A younger triplet attempting to do something acrobatic when he tended to cause mischief on the ground was exactly the type of thing to make Jadie want to make her way to the rear end of the shuttle and begin a long tirade about responsibility and civic duty, which Fitz would have gladly assisted her in by providing facts and historical context that correlated with complementary evidence to prove their point, but Jadie was rather unfortunately unable to even make it a foot into the mob before falling back towards the front of the bus as the shuttle turned.

"Oh, thank goodness! We're here! I don't want everyone to trample each other when the bus stops, I want you each to file out in an orderly line and then wait for our wonderful driver to hand out the luggage which he so kindly loaded on earlier," screamed Jadie, nearly at her wits end as a speed bump caused her to slam into the back of the driver's seat with a loud thud.

Since Fitz was rather displeased to see Jadie so furious and unhappy, he carefully stepped around Evangeline and past Jillian to offer her an arm up. Jadie gratefully took it, simultaneously shooting the three airborne girls and the one airborne prince potent death glares. She gestured for them to cease and desist, which everyone except Sam immediately did with ease and a considerable portion of elegant grace. Sam, however, had someone ended up with his arms and legs wrapped around the beam like a koala.

Although the majority of the girls were slowly trickling in a stream off the bus, Fitz opted to remain to ensure that Sam didn't end up in any more trouble than he was already bound to get himself into to. Jadie was now yelling at Sam with a ferocious fervor, scowling and waving her arms even as the bus driver stepped around her to dole out the luggage.

The problem soon became quite obvious. Sam, curse his name, had gotten himself precariously stuck up on the metal beam because he'd shoved his arms and legs around the horizontal metal pole for dear life when they'd hit the speed bump.

It took a team of drivers who were off-duty and a fuming Jadie to get him down, albeit with a considerable effort and bruising on Sam's part.

Fitz shot his brother his own death glare. Jadie had been through enough already.

 **Author's Note: Oh, look! I wrote a slightly sad chapter with a ridiculous ending to try to cheer myself (and all of you readers) up after the last one. I didn't plan on any of this happening, somehow I ended up writing Sam into an awkward position on a shuttle bus. The joys of writing. Though I'm sure it's better for me to do something lighthearted and silly than killing off another character. At least we've got Sam, who'll have the next chapter's pov. Don't forget to review to let me know what you think, and here's hoping I find the time to write soon.**


	62. Heavy Lifting

Prince Sam's POV

Self-humiliation should have been Sam's middle name. Yes, danger would have been cooler, but it was also more cliche, and didn't have the, um, alliteration that Samuel Self-Humiliation Schreave contained. Anyways, this was the second time he'd gotten stuck somewhere since the selection began. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

"Reckless endangerment of life and limb! Gross negligence! How are you so simply foolish as to do something like this? If you possess the necessary physical capabilities to safely participate in such a blatantly risky scheme, I might have let you off with a less severe warning, but you clearly could not stably do such a thing in your current circumstances. If I had half a mind, I'd send you straight home to the palace, but as I'm obligated to keep you here for the next four weeks, you're going to bring the suitcases to each room. Every single one of them,"

Jadie Flores, in all her furious glory, was seriously ticked off at his latest escapade. She had began yelling at him the second after he'd been dislodged from the ceiling of the shuttle bus. While the girls got to look around at the palm trees and weirdly commercial setting, Sam got to basically be screamed at by a woman who could make grown tigers run away in terror.

The planner looked even more intimidating than she usually did in her oddly chosen outfit of the trip. She was wearing electric blue, a shade that was definitely less painful on the eyes than her usual clothes were. It was almost like some sort of brightly colored reference to the ocean, given the fact that they were on an island and had crossed a large part of one ocean over the course of their really long and kind of tiring day of traveling. Knowing Jadie, she would have definitely had the forethought to do something like that.

Realizing that he should probably be mumbling some feeble attempt at an apology to make Jadie not literally bite off his head, Sam tried to make himself look like he actually held some emotion similar to remorse for doing the incredibly fun thing he'd just done. "Sorry, Jadie," he muttered, glancing down at the ground to hide his tiny smirk.

Thankfully, Jadie just sighed, shook her head, and trotted off to bother the employees of the rental car business. She looked like she was trying to corral the girls into a blob that was a little more shapely, if that was possible. Blobs, in his opinion, were better left to grow and take form on their own. Kind of like his plans to pull a prank on someone. The more thought they required, the harder they would be to make into something that actually was worth the time he wasted thinking about them.

An orangey blur in the corner of his eye distracted him. He turned, and there, happily licking one of its front paws in front of a bush, was a ginger cat. It had the same stupidly smug look on its face that all cats usually wore. Somehow, the cat almost reminded him of Katelin, or at least how she used to appear to him.

He wasn't the only one to notice the cat. "Hey, Kota, look!" exclaimed Averian, pointing at the orange cat as she caused a few of the girls closest to her to turn around in search of the furry creature. Averian's blue eyes were bright. Sam supposed she must have liked cats, or had a few of her own in the past. Dog people held grudges against cats, but cat people just accepted that their animal of choice was evil and kind of just went with it. He didn't like to choose sides, personally, as he liked both animals equally.

Illonie, within hearing distance, had out a guidebook and was leafing through its pages. "It says here that the islands are home to a large number of stray cats, a population that has been growing in size since the days before Illea," she said. He was pretty sure Illonie was a tour guide, so it wasn't all that surprising that she had information for them.

Meanwhile, a certain group of girls were less than excited about the cat. Gloria, in particular, was looking at the cat like she wanted to kick it. Sophea seemed to be, um, not interested, or whatever that fancy word for it was, about the general subject of the cat. The two girls had too much in common to really be friends, but he could at least tell that they tolerated each other more than they tolerated anyone else currently in their little group of selected.

In the commotion, Jadie had returned with one of the employees, who looked like they had swallowed a lemon. They were a short, plump woman, with a towering hairdo that seemed like it had gone out of fashion decades ago, and Sam thought that they kind of looked a bit like a pumpkin in their orange uniform.

Jadie cleared her throat and shot a purposeful look at the pumpkin. "Oh! Sorry, sweetie. Hello! I'm Doris Meekes, but you can all call me Doris. I'm the manager of Meekes Rental Car Company. Now, dears, I think we've got nine cars rented out for you, so find four other girls and pick a car!" squeaked the orange lady, her voice really annoying and high-pitched. Even Jadie looked slightly disgruntled. If Jadie didn't like someone who was in a position of administration, there might have been something wrong with that particular human being.

"Yes. However, you're only allowed to drive if you have a license. I've got a list of who does and who doesn't. Don't try to cheat the system, girls. Princes, you're in the same position you were in last time. Sam and Fitz, take the lead of the caravan. I'll take Luke and bring up the rear," announced the planner.

Oh, great. More quality time with Fitz. Sam rolled his eyes, shooting Jadie a quick scowl but backing down when she gave him a stern look that really made him want to put whipped cream in her shoes sometime. He'd have to make a mental note to call the prank council to order sometime within the next few days to plan for the dare days as well. He didn't know when they'd happen, but he had four weeks to do them, which was a pretty exciting thing in itself. Plus, it would annoy Jadie to no end. That was definitely a bonus.

Fitz was standing over by a girl that Sam couldn't actually remember the name of, engaged in a quiet discussion about something Sam probably had no interest in whatsoever. While it was embarrassing, that he'd forgotten one of the names of the girls in the selection, dwelling on it wouldn't be very helpful.

Jadie began to usher the girls towards the rental cars. Sam, deciding to bite the bullet and find Fitz before Jadie dragged him over to his brother by his ears, slowly edged his way through the thinning crowd and over to the eldest triplet. When they were so close in age, a lot of importance was placed on the five minutes or so between them, which really kind of made all the difference. He'd experienced opinions from people who didn't think it mattered, but when you were born into a family that lived in a palace, almost everything mattered.

Unfortunately, Fitz saw him coming. " My apologies, Ashla. We'll have to continue this conversation later," said his brother. Ashla, the dark-haired girl, nodded and moved off towards the other girls. Was she the one that did archery or something? She might have been. Ashla, although he knew nothing about the sport, looked like she could take anyone down easily.

The eldest triplet scanned Sam with a gaze that was colder than a polar bear with hypothermia. Sam knew that Fitz had never really liked him, and their time in the car earlier had been torture for him, but did he have to make it so obvious? The sudden urge to punch his brother in the nose overwhelmed Sam. However, Jadie would probably put him under house arrest if he did that, and then all of his plans would be for nothing. Better to punch Fitz after the dare days and after the trip rather than risk the consequences.

"Follow me, Sam. Jadie instructed me to where our vessel of transportation is parked. I'm driving, of course, so please enter through the passenger side of the vehicle," commanded Fitz, almost as if he was a general giving orders to his groups. Geez. That scary Commander Aida lady was really wearing off on Fitz, much to Sam's unhappiness.

It wasn't like his brother had ever been warm and fuzzy, though. Even as small children, Fitz had spent more time focusing on academic stuff than having fun and enjoying as normal of a childhood as someone living in a palace could have. Needless to say, Sam had gotten really good at finding ways to entertain himself at a young age. Even if that usually ended up involving other people or causing some sort of annoyance for them. Sam almost laughed out loud when he remembered when the kitchen staff had jokingly debated shoving him in the oven.

Also, while it was pretty obvious that they'd grown up in a palace, the way that Fitz spoke got on Sam's nerves. Not just the commanding tone, but the ridiculously long and fancy words that he used. It was like he was trying to make himself seem as professional and stuck-up as possible. Sam was thankful that he'd managed to avoid that way of speaking.

The car that Fitz and Sam were apparently going to be traveling in, at least for today, was a dull gray model that looked more like something a grandmother would drive. He hated it instantly. While the other six cars were more modern, they got the one that was probably older than Jadie. Great, he thought sarcastically. Fitz seemed almost pleased about it. That, obviously, made Sam even more irritated. He made sure to slam the passenger side door as loudly as possible when he slid into the seat.

As the girls slowly filled into the cars, and loaded their suitcases into the trunks, Sam's mood suddenly dropped. Nothing about the next few minutes would be fun. He'd have to ride with Fitz, only to escape to an even worse fate of carrying heavy objects up multiple flights of stairs. Fitz looked perfectly fine, too, which didn't really help.

The sight of Mae getting into one of the closer vehicles made Sam straighten up from his slumped position. For some reason, Mae always made him feel a little less terrible, but the sight of her also reminded him that he probably shouldn't be pouting like a toddler in front of any of them. Judgement was a fickle thing. Enough people already hated him, and while he might not have cared about what they thought, he at least cared about what the people he was stuck with thought about him.

"Jadie's approaching her intended vehicle. I believe she'll signal to us to begin the drive to our destination, given that we have to lead the caravan. She ensured that I had directions previous to the current moment, so we should be able to promptly make our way there," muttered Fitz, almost trying to talk more to himself than to Sam.

At least Fitz had to drive. He was the responsible one, so he was able to drive them places without taking any detours or accidentally running over a curb. The last time Sam drove, it had not ended well, and he was pretty sure that Jadie wasn't ever going to let him beyond the wheel if she could help it. Which probably meant that he wasn't going to get to drive again until he had gray hair and wrinkles and was basically on his deathbed with one of the walker things.

Seeing that he wasn't really getting his point across, Fitz gave a long sigh and fiddled with a few buttons near the steering wheel. Sam made a point of staring out the window at whatever was going on out there. The only interesting thing he saw was the same orange cat from before, happily stretched out in the late afternoon sunshine next to a hedge.

The sound of the engine starting made him jump. "Hey, a little warning next time?" grumped Sam, scowling at his brother as Fitz began to slowly guide the car out of the rental building's parking lot. Fitz sighed again, making Sam really want to smack him, but stayed focused on his current task. Sam doubted that Fitz could get in a car accident even if he tried, though, so the lack of focus wouldn't be a problem. Though he was probably also incapable of that, too.

Maui was actually really cool. Tall palm trees graced the shopping centers, with green grass and tropical plants popping up where he least expected them. The sky was a shade of blue that almost made his head hurt. In the distance, he could see the mountain, looming up with its mountains and valleys, dominating the skyline.

Some of the stores they passed were familiar, chain establishments that were all over Illea. They were in the part of Maui that was pretty developed. It wasn't exactly tropical jungles and such, but they'd definitely get to see those later on the trip. They had four weeks to do everything. Four weeks was a lot of time, really, a little less than a month, and he was sure that the selection itself had only been going on for four weeks. Hawaii would be the new normal for the selected and himself, and his brothers and Jadie.

From what he knew, Maui and the other islands had basically carried on the legacy of America by staying virtually unchanged since the days before Illea. They were a territory of Illea, of course, but no one ever really paid them much attention. Tourism from other countries was common, including from Illea itself, but making it a province hadn't been considered until recently.

A turn caused them to end up on a road that lead them past grocery stores and restaurants, which were thinning out as they went along. They were staying right up against the water, and had to pass some of the large fields in the less urban part of the island to get to their place of residence. Sam grimaced at how fancy that sounded, but then got distracted by a weird looking bird flying overhead. Since it was an island, it was home to wildlife and plants that weren't found anywhere else in the world. Minus the cats, of course.

"How much longer?" asked Sam, trying not to whine but causing Fitz to scowl at him out of the corner of his eye anyway. Keeping his focus on the road, Fitz very obviously glanced at the built-in monitor that showed them the directions. And, of course, how close they were to their destination.

Technology was great, except when it ruined his fun. Or when it made it impossible for him to have any fun in the first place. Like, they could do without security cameras, but Sam was kind of attached to his phone. But so was most of the population, or so he thought. He couldn't exactly go out on the street and ask people about how much time they spent on their phone every day. People would look at him weird, even if they didn't realize that he was one of the princes and either alert the media or try to kill him.

Sam awkwardly twisted around in his seat to look through the back window of the car. He couldn't tell who it was in the car behind them, but he could see that a line of cars snaked down the road in an odd line that must have been a strange sight for the locals. And possibly even for the tourists, at that.

Seeing all of the cars made him think of all the suitcases Jadie was going to make him carry. Sure, he'd do it, but only because he needed to be a nice person and not cause the girls to fall backwards down the stairs and accidently kill each other. They'd have their backpacks and carry-on bags, of course, but he would definitely have to take all of the really heavy bags. Knowing Jadie, there wouldn't be an elevator to ease his suffering, either. That would be much too easy and would defeat the point of the punishment.

It wasn't like Sam wasn't capable of carrying that much, because he was. It was more the tedious and tiring nature of the thing that really made him squirm. Endless, and boring. Exactly what he hated the most when being forced to do something by Jadie. Heck, the only thing worse would probably be filling out some sort of paperwork.

Making a mental note to try to stay on Jadie's good side for the rest of the trip, Sam noticed that their destination was approaching. It was a four story tall building, with outdoor stairs inside of painted brick walls, and had railings in front of a walkway that allowed entrance to the apartments on each floor. Sam had a feeling that this building would basically be occupied by them and no one else for the next few weeks. With Jadie's love of safety and taking too many precautions, there was no way she'd let anyone else stay there.

As Fitz slowly began to pull into a parking space, Sam waved out of the window at a few of the girls he spotted in one of the nearby cars. Maizie waved back, smiling, her red hair and short stance making her easily noticeable even from a far distance and through a car window.

* * *

 **Author's Note: It seems like I kind of forgot to put this chapter up. I'm actually quite a ways through the next one, and I feel terrible for only just remembering that this was never released. It's not that good, anyway, but it's something, which is better than nothing. We've finally made it to Hawaii, and are almost at our destination! I'm so sorry that this is all taking so long, but I'll hopefully find time to pick up the pace and get more writing done in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll even get back to the one chapter a week thing that I deviated from a really long time ago! That said, if you're still here, and still reading, please don't forget to leave a review! The elimination after the Hawaii trip will be less story-based and more related to who is actually reading and who isn't. When we get to that point, I'll look at all the reviews for the past month and a half, and if I don't see a submitter on their, at least one of their characters is probably going to have to go. However, I already know that there are a few of you still engaged, so you're all safe for the time being.**


	63. Over the Rainbow

Prince Luke's POV

Stepping into the small entrance way of the place he'd be residing in for the next four weeks, Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to steady himself. His hands, which had been shaking for the past hour, were tightly interlocked, a desperate attempt to hide the tremors that moved them. A cool breeze wrapped around him from the open door. After encircling him, it gently disasspated, leaving him with a sense of peace that was barely enough to make him regain his composure.

He opened his eyes. The entry, a small room that probably only a yard by another yard when measuring it, was covered in a paisley and floral wallpaper that kind of scared him. A decorative sea turtle hung on one of the walls, beady eyes squinting at him as if it needed glasses. Luke left his shoes under the turtle and stepped through the door frame into the rest of the apartment.

To his left, a small kitchen greeted him upon entering. Tiled floors made a stark contrast with the wood that covered the rest of the place, or so he assumed. The kitchen had a homely feeling to it, but it didn't really do much to help Luke's churning stomach or pounding head. The porcelain bulldog perched in a corner, next to the microwave, seemed to be starting at him. Like any sane human, Luke decided to name it Darius. That made a good bulldog name, or at least it did in his eyes, which were probably a bit muddled from jet lag.

A long wall made up everything to the right of the entryway. There was a door a few feet past it, presumably leading to the first bedroom, and an open door frame beyond the main living area. On the back wall of the place, full-length windows and a glass sliding door allowed a beautiful view of the complex pool and the bay beyond.

Judging from the strange switch he could see on the wall of the terrace, outside, and from the weird thing on the ceiling of it, there were retractable blinds in case they didn't want anyone staring at them while they ate breakfast or did something in the tiny area. Realizing that he hadn't yet inspected the main living area, Luke trained his eyes on the comfortable-looking sofa, large TV, small table, and built-in cabinets on the left wall. A vibrant rug patterned the floor in the middle, looking much more suited to the island decor than the bulldog.

The kitchen's cinnamon colored wood counters with their granite tops looked good with the light wood floors, the numerous houseplants giving the space an air of charm and homeliness. Not that Luke had ever really gotten to see a place like that with his own two eyes. Weird? Yes. Normal for a prince? Also yes.

A quick squeak of the door to the first bedroom let him discover where the first bathroom was as well. The room, with one queen bed pushed up against the right wall, had a door standing ajar with a view into a small bathroom that seemed to contain all the essentials. The bedroom itself wasn't terrible, but seeing only one bed made Luke feel like he would probably end up sleeping on that very comfortable looking couch. Upon his visit to the second bedroom, he found that his worries were confirmed. It was a larger room, but once again, only one bed.

It wasn't that bad. Luke was actually pretty content with taking the couch. A few blankets, and a pillow, would make it comfier than either of the beds. Though the pressing issue of having to sneak past one of his brothers whenever he needed to use the bathroom at night would be something to keep in mind for later on.

A loud crash from outside of the apartment, where he'd accidently left the door open, caused Luke to go running out of the second bedroom and out onto the front walkway that led to four of the top floor apartments. Seeing what had made he noise spurred Luke into action, taking some of the heavy suitcases from Sam as the youngest triplet struggled to carry six of them up the stairs. Sweat plastered Sam's brown hair to his forehead, and it seemed like he might have had tried to pull of a bit more than he could chew.

"Thanks," said Sam, cursing Jadie under his breath and using a few words that Luke would rather not repeat. Out of the three of them, Sam had always had the biggest penchant for using swear words. Luke could forgive him, though, because the three suitcases he'd grabbed were actually really heavy themselves.

Luke shrugged as he waited for Sam to finish making his way up the last few steps. "No problem," he replied, keeping his eyes downcast. It wasn't as if Sam, the least attentive of the triplets, would notice that the gnawing ache in his stomach had turned into a void of emptiness that was threatening to spill over. His strategy so far was to avoid thinking about it. That wasn't really working, but he had to keep trying. There was no way that he'd let himself break down in front of everyone else, especially Sam.

Heavy breathing burst out of Sam once he'd paused for a mere second. "I can take it from here, dude, I've got this. You go inside and do whatever. It's my punishment, not yours, so you shouldn't have to help me with it. I did a stupid, and yes I meant to say that, so I get to do this on my own," he said, which would have been more impressive if he didn't look like a fish.

Seeing that Sam wasn't going to let him help, Luke turned around and entered back into the apartment, making sure to close the door all the way this time. Something made him pause. "Hey, Sam? Where's Fitz?" yelled Luke, poking his head back outside and causing Sam to jump. After he'd managed to get his awkwardly positioned suitcases back to the way he'd been dragging them along before, Sam gave him an expression of not knowing anything whatsoever. Oh well. He was probably with Jadie, so Luke closed the door again and walked into the living area.

What was he supposed to be doing? Jadie hadn't given them any instrutions, and over the past few days, Luke had gotten used to be told what to do for every minutes of his waking hours. Now that he finally had control, he was completely lost. There was no way he was going to survive four weeks like this.

Thankfully, Fitz came through the door a few seconds later. The eldest triplet surveyed the apartment with a keen eye, then marched over to Luke and gave a short sigh before pausing to wait for something, or more likely, someone. Sam came through the door immediately, still red in the face and sweaty, but with a large smile on his face that instantly made Luke wonder what he'd just done. Knowing Sam, it was probably going to cause Fitz's head to explode. But would that really be that bad?

"So kind of you to join us, Sam. I believe that the first course of action we should take must be to assign sleeping quarters for the duration of our stay. Given that there are only two bedrooms, we must make the unfortunate decision to have one of our number take their nightly slumber on the couch," announced Fitz.

Luke, knowing that he was going to be stuck doing it anyway, scratched his nose and sighed. "I'll take it. I don't mind," he said, glancing down at the hard wood floors as Fitz nodded. It wasn't like he needed to have his own space anyway. He felt as though he wasn't that important, that he didn't matter at all compared to his brothers, and that he probably deserved to sleep outside on the ground for all he was worth. That might be safer, as he wouldn't be surprised if Sam accidently sat on him one morning as he settled down to watch cartoons.

Perking up like a flower in the sun, Sam looked expectantly at Fitz. "Can I have the room closest to the door? I mean, they both have bathrooms, so it shouldn't really matter, right? Plus, the other one is bigger. I think you'll like it better anyway," he said with a weird tinge of apprehensiveness that made Luke suspicious.

A similar thought seemed to occur to Fitz, who said, "As you wish, Sam, but do be aware that I won't permit any of your dalliances during our stay here. I'm quite confident that both Luke and I will be able to ensure that you're not able to sneak anyone into your room,". Luke, realizing what Fitz was alluding to, felt his face flush and found himself staring at the cream-colored wall behind the couch where he'd be staying for the next few weeks. Sam made a noise that sounded like a flustered turkey. Though he had no clue as to what that sounded like.

Of course, Fitz was probably right. This was Sam. He'd done the same thing many times before at the palace, but that was larger, and would have occurred with people that really weren't anything like the selected. Here, everything was less spaced out, and everything could probably be heard throughout the entire apartment.

The worst thing was that Sam didn't even try to deny this, simply shooting Fitz a dirty look and stomping off to the room he'd just claimed with his own luggage and bags in tow behind him. He might have made a sound similar to that of an irritated bird, but that didn't mean Sam really felt any embarrassment at all. Luke, unfortunately, had his face drained of color and the red flush that had crept up on it moments before. He didn't want to think about the implications of Sam doing various things.

A weird noise caused Luke and Fitz to look at each other in confusion. The beeping, which was coming from a small device next to the TV, was quickly silenced when Fitz snatched the device and pressed a labeled button. Suddenly, the TV glowed to life, the faces of four of the girls filling the screen. A confused Sam poked his head out of his room and ran over.

Alette, Aurelia, Cila, and Scarlet seemed to be surprised themselves. "It worked!" exclaimed Scarlet, turning excitedly to Cila with a smile before remembering what she was doing. Luke supposed this was something Jadie had set up. It was definitely something she would have done, rigging up a camera system so everyone could easily contact each other if the need arose, and the girls from apartment one must have been the first ones to figure out how to use it.

"Hey, Alette, Cila, Aurelia! Oh, and Scarlet. I have no idea what this is, but it seems cool! Um, like, how exactly did you do this, though?" asked Sam, scratching his head. Luke had recently realized that Sam usually touched his hair whenever he was nervous or feeling some other negative, un-sam-like emotion.

The two from Yukon laughed. "Aurelia pressed a button," replied Alette. She easily stood out from the other selected in most instances, but a little less so with Cila by her side. There was no explanation to why there were so many caucasian girls and so few other ethnicities in the selection. Alette, Dakota, Sophea, and possibly Lisbeth were the only ones who weren't, er, white. It wasn't a good or a bad thing, of course, since skin color was just superficial, but it was confusing, at least to Luke's curious mind.

Fitz, who'd been standing near the edge of the girls' view, silently turned and walked a few feet away, a position in which he could see and not be seen himself. The eldest of the triplets hadn't really taken a liking to any of the four girls who were currently on the screen, so it made sense that he wasn't that interested.

Suddenly, the picture on the screen changed. Jadie Flores was now frowning down at them. However, all around the border of the main screen, smaller images that showed each of the apartments had popped up, probably so Jadie could make sure everyone was paying attention. Fitz stepped back into the range of the camera. Everyone, at a first glance, seemed accounted for, which was a good thing. They hadn't figured out the sound remote yet, and if Jadie started yelling, they were all going to suffer permanent hearing loss.

"Okay, everyone, i see some of you figured out the facecam before I got around to this. Good for you. I'm just doing this right now so everyone knows that this is a thing, and that i'll be saying announcements and explaining plans for the day each morning on here at exactly 8:00 sharp," said Jadie, brown eyes daring anyone to defy her orders.

In the bottom left screen, Elizabeth tentatively raised her hand, as if she was in a classroom. Jadie motioned for her to ask her question. "Um, I was wondering, if, well, we were allowed to use the screens to contact other apartments," she inquired, ducking her blonde mass of unruly hair down in embarrassment. Jadie nodded, giving her corner of the screen a gentle smile that Luke only saw the woman use on a very select few of the girls. Taylor and Dakota were two such examples, or at least had been in the past few weeks.

"Of course, Elizabeth. Now to the other orders of business I must address. You must pass all travelling past me if you want to do something, but in most instances, you'll be allowed to do so, as long as I don't have anything scheduled. You should always be back to your apartment by ten at night, unless I give you special permission.

" I can't exactly control whether you fall asleep or not, though, but you do have to be inside by that time. Apartment inspections will be every Wednesday to ensure you're not living in a pigsty. I'll come around, make you clean up a few things, and then leave. They'll be after the day's activity, though, so don't worry about it interfering with your beach time. Grocery runs are allowed, as long as you clear it with me first. And, of course, you're not allowed to ever be alone with one of the princes. Any questions?" said Jadie, covering what seemed to be the basics.

No one spoke. Jadie nodded and looked down as if she was checking her ever present clipboard. "Good. We're having dinner by the pool in a few hours, so I'll call again thirty minutes before that to let you know that you need to get ready With that said, I can leave you be," finished the curly-haired planner. Another awkward silence followed her words.

In an instant, as suddenly as it had appeared, the screen turned black. The three princes were left standing in the middle of the room in silence. Fitz, being the first one to absorb and process the instructions, retreated to his room and began to systematically unpack his bags, leaving the door open. Luke glanced at the clock. 4:45. They had only technically become two hours behind Angeles, but they'd lost over a day in travel, especially with the drive and airport procedures.

Sam had an odd expression on his face. He was looking at Luke in a way that made him want to run and avoid human contact, as it was a weird look on Sam. It was almost as if Sam was worried about something. It came as a surprise when he motioned for Luke to join him on the couch, where he plopped down.

"Luke, I just want to make sure that you're okay. You definitely weren't okay for most of the plane ride here, and I'm a little worried about that. You know me. I, like, never get worried. I never think, either. But you're my brother, and you're important to me, even if I don't always act like it. If you ever need anything, like a bucket to puke up your food in, let me know. I already talked to Jadie about it, and she might come around soon to make sure you're doing okay, so be prepared for that," said Sam, softly.

Luke, in all fairness, was shocked. Sam actually cared about him? Sam had talked to Jadie, even though she'd probably been mad at him, to get her to make plans to check on him? Sam was offering to help? He'd never seen his brother act like this around him before. None of his family members had done something like this in his memory.

Fighting to keep back a wave of tears, Luke managed a small smile. "Thank you, Sam. You wouldn't know it, but that means the world to me, so thank you. Let me know if you need anything, too, even if it's whipped cream or stink bombs or something," he replied. Sam laughed, brown eyes glittering like they always did when he planned some new form of mischief. He'd acknowledged that he wasn't the smartest, but Luke personally thought that Sam was a genius in his own way. There wasn't only one type of brilliance.

It was kind of like the Wizard of Oz. The scarecrow was Sam, who everyone thought lacked brains. The tin man was Fitz, who sometimes seemed to not have a heart. And Luke? Luke was the cowardly lion, who didn't have any courage. Would that make Jadie Dorothy, and her clipboard Toto?

With that aside, Luke came to a conclusion. The three of them might have seemed to be missing something important, but in the end, just like in the story, they got it. Maybe the selection would lead the three of them to being able to overcome their weaknesses. Maybe everyone would realize that Sam could think, although in his own way. Fitz might learn the one thing he couldn't study from a textbook. And Luke, in the long run, might learn to face his fears and finally find his courage.

 **Author's Note: Look who managed to write something quickly! Thank goodness for American Federal Holidays. For all you people who don't live here, Monday was Presidents Day, though you could probably figure that out. I didn't have school, and spent my time writing for once. I'm happy with the ending of the chapter, but I want to know what everyone else thinks. Was the reference too much of a stretch? I don't have any plans for the next chapter at the current moment, so if you have suggestions for what might happen (it'll probably be the pool thing Jadie mentioned) let me know in a review! I want to try to encourage a little more reader participation, since at this point I feel like i'm kind of just doing my own thing with the story. Its an SYOC, after all, so the submitters and readers should be involved. Don't forget to review, and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up within the week.**


	64. Felis Catus

Prince Fitz's POV

It was rather unfortunate that a major security issue had arisen during the pool party. Just once, Fitz thought, grumbling to whatever higher power held sway over the events in their lives, couldn't they enjoy a simple evening without any calamities occurring? Murphy's Law may have been a valid principle, but by no means did he have to accept it.

The evening had started off fairly relaxed. Jadie had assembled their contingent of chattering girls, in addition to Fitz and his fellow princes, utilizing the video screen that had been introduced earlier in the day. They had all resembled a horde of wildebeests as the mass trampled down the concrete steps, arms laden with towels and pool toys and whatever else they deemed appropriate for the evening. Colorful swimsuits were hidden behind thin cover-ups, although Jadie herself had opted not to change from her traveling ensemble.

Given the fact that they were the only ones in their set of condos, they had the entire large pool to themselves. The sweet scent of island breezes wafted to and fro. Palm trees swayed gently. The late afternoon, early evening air swirled around them in an almost lazy manner. Beginnings of a radiant sunset were starting to appear on the horizon.

Fitz, knowing full well that Sam was highly unlikely to sit still for any period of time, opted to place their towels next to the same chair, in hopes of consolidating and allowing more girls to have a place to sit and claim for the evening. Being forwards-thinking, he acquired the premade labeled plastic bags for cell phones from a small bag he carried over a shoulder, and slipped Sam's callously abandoned device into one. Sam had thanked him later in the night, to his surprise.

The majority of events had gone smoothly for the first half hour, up to the current point in time where he was recounting the incident to himself in his mind. It was a good thing that the pool was quite massive in size, as it would have to at least be capable of holding the majority of their number for an extended period of time.

While a small number of the girls reclined on their chairs and read various magazines, many splashed around in the water and attempted to avoid Sam's overzealous antics. Jadie acted as a sort of lifeguard, yelling at anyone who dared to run in the general vicinity of the pool, and ensuring that no one was injured. Though, thinking about it, Jadie might have enjoyed the laborious amount of paperwork she would be required to complete if Sam ended up cracking his head open on the concrete.

As for Fitz, he himself opted to spend the time treading water in a corner of the pool, seeing no reason to not enjoy the smooth feeling of the water on his skin and the temperate nature of the pool. Occasionally, others would float over, and he would participate in a brief conversation. In total, there were around forty people in the pool.

One of his more memorable conversations was with Elia, the sweetly dispositioned five. She was somewhat shy, but rather kind, and Fitz couldn't help but take a liking to her. They had quite the discussion about one of Illea's premiere concert halls and how the design influenced the acoustics of whatever was being performed on the stage. Elia, having actually performed there before, clarified a few murky matters that he had been in the dark about previously, in relation to the performing arts business.

He had never payed Elia much attention in the past, something he was sorely regretting now. At least he had taken the first step towards remedying this, as it was not in his best interests to lack interaction with any of the girls in the selection, including but not limited to brunettes with soft smiles and quiet dispositions.

This brought him back to present events. Most notably, the security breach. A cluster of bodies had gathered around one of the flowering bushes at the entrance to the enclosed pool area, seemingly becoming excited over the sight of something that must have been hiding in the bush, which lead to Jadie striding over to see what all of the commotion was about. She elbowed through the mob of dripping wet and slightly cold girls, and came to Luke, who was crouching down and gently whispering to something orange and fluffy.

Scarlet Bronzine was the first to exuberantly turn to Jadie. "Can we keep it? Please?" she asked, her eyes widening and pleading at the planner. From his vantage point, Fitz couldn't quite tell what exactly she was referring to, but he had a decently formed notion as to what it was.

"Step aside. Luke, what's this? Why are you talking to a bush?" said Jadie, seemingly exasperated. Fitz would have felt the same way, if he had not seen the bright flash of orange fur mere seconds earlier. Luke turned to Jadie, motioning silently at the bottom of the bush, then bending back down to hold out his hand. Scarlet, having gone away and then come back, passed him what seemed to be a small portion of snacks. Luke put them into his open palm and nervously held them out once more.

Two glittering feline eyes appeared. Jadie silently raised her eyebrows. Tentatively, a fluffy orange cat emerged from the bush. A few of the girls squealed with excitement, but immediately became quiet once more when Jadie glared at them. Even she seemed to be invested in the events playing out.

The cat licked some of the snacks off of Luke's palm, then slowly batted its head against Luke's leg. Fitz, along with the other occupants of the pool who had now stopped to watch, saw the cat let Luke pat its head gently. It obviously had developed an attachment towards his brother, although they had known each other for a few seconds at best. He grimaced. The chances of them having to purchase a pet carrier and litter box were exponentially increasing as time wore on.

Jadie seemed to have become bored. "Alright, everyone, except Luke, back to the pool or whatever you were doing," commanded the curly-haired woman. The girls all trotted off towards the pool once more, causing Fitz to turn his attention back to his immediate surroundings so he wasn't the target of an unfortunate jump into the depths of the cool water.

Illonie Everill suddenly began moving over in his direction. It wasn't exactly swimming, per se, more akin to a dignified walk with arms out in front through the water until she reached the deeper end of the pool. She then began to gracefully glide towards him, a distinct change from her decided way of movement mere moments before. Her electric blue eyes reflected the water and the beautiful sunset, making it seem as though the universe was raining stardust in her irises. A poetic description, but Fitz felt that it fit.

The raven-haired six slowed to a stop. "Hi. It's really nice to get back into the water, especially after earlier, and it's been so long since I've gone swimming!" she said, beginning to tread water to keep herself afloat. Abstract patterns swirled in the water as they graced her swimsuit.

"Yes, quite. My family took a short trip to a beach earlier in the summer, in June, but the amount of time that has elapsed makes it seem as though it was years ago. It makes for an enjoyable way to cool down and socialize, I've found, especially in a massive group setting such as this one," replied Fitz, dipping himself under the surface for a much-needed break from attempting to keep his limbs moving in coordinated circles. His brief movement also allowed Illonie to formulate a remark in response.

She smiled. "It does seem like the selection has been going on forever, doesn't it? We all got so used to it during the rehearsals, and working definitely takes your mind off some things. From what I've heard, it's certainly different from any selection in the past," remarked Illonie. The sounds of Sam splashing around filled the moments of silence between their words.

A beach ball torpedoed over their heads and nearly whacked Fitz directly in the nose, making a sudden descent immediately above his head as he craned his neck back to investigate what the flying sphere was attempting to achieve with its futile quest for escape. He managed to bat it away at the last second, causing Illonie to easily catch it and then spike it back over towards the group that had sent it accidently flying over their way in the first place. Pandora called out a quick word of thanks in Illonie's general direction as she retrieved the colorful sphere.

Blinking to readjust his bearings, Fitz managed a brief laugh at his own expense. "Well, Illonie, I'm quite lucky to still have a face at the present moment," he joked, which was usually Sam's area of expertise. To his credit, Illonie laughed, and it was less directed at them and more directed with him.

He made a mental note to keep one eye peeled for any other airborne objects for the rest of their time at the pool in the backyard of the apartment complex. "Yes. By the way, how did your experience with the marching band kids go? Gosh, that seems like that was forever ago, too. I got along pretty well with my section, I suppose, though one of them insisted on calling me Illinois for the entire time. That was a state back before Illea, though, so I have no clue as to why they did that," remarked Illonie.

"I had a rather pleasant experience with the group I was assigned to. The piccolos were all quite nice, meaning the humans themselves and not the instruments. I assume that it is customary in the marching band to refer to a group of individuals in a section by the instrument they play. They split in half, two accompanying Kira and the other pair accompanying myself," he said.

Illonie nodded. "That was a good idea. It's lucky that they had a boy, though, otherwise you might have been alone in that regard. I was with the clarinets. They weren't bad at all, most of them were really rather nice, and I'd have to say it was kind of sad to see them go, even though we'd only spent six or seven hours with them. Seven hours might appear to be a lot of time, but it really isn't, in terms of getting to know an entire group of people," she said.

Fitz recognized the relaxation and spirit in her tone of voice. She was less reserved than usual, but probably also a little more anxious to socialize, and he'd learned from living with the infamous Samuel Schreave for all of his life that nighttime was often the worst in terms of keeping yourself running in accordance to your usual behavior.

Realizing he had yet to reply, which was uncharacteristic for him, he collected himself with a small cough into his fist. "Ah, pardon me. Might I inquire as to who in our merry little band of adventurers also partook in the experiences with the clarinet section?" Fitz inquired. He felt his nose twitch. That in itself was quite odd, but he simply released it as a common tic after a long day of traveling and the extreme changes in time zones, of which were only made worse by the speed in which they were taken with.

"I believe it was Willow, Neaera, Cosette, Abrielle, Maisynn, Cameron, Ashla, and Mae that were also put there. The sheer amount of us overwhelmed them, I think. I ended up in an aisle seat on the plane, across from Cosette, so we were able to talk for some of the flight. The two boys also in my row weren't very social," she said, then continued after taking a pause.

"Willow actually ended up sitting with a flute and a clarinet, though, so she got to make friends with one of them as well. I only know the majority of this information because I had a little time to kill on the flight. Oh, I'm rambling, aren't I? I suppose it's the jet lag getting to me. I'm usually better at not doing this, because of my job, but there are sometimes when I kind of just let loose. I'm probably embarrassing myself, honestly, I should really just shut up and stop talking alright. Yikes. I'm not being very smart!" released Illonie, all of this in a very rapid-fire manner.

On instinct, he reached out and patted her shoulder. "You're quite fine, Illonie. You are far from being a rambling mess of words. I believe you're quite intelligent, in fact, at all moments, so please do not think the opposite about yourself at the current time. And, in addition, you're not embarrassing yourself, either," he commented.

Her face flushed red. "I'm sorry. My words carried my reasoning away, and I believe i should apologize for that," she replied, but seemed to have been comforted slightly. "That does mean quite a lot to me, though, so thank you," added the tour guide, tucking loose strands of her dark and currently wet hair behind her ears. She suddenly turned around, at which Fitz realized Kinsey had swum up behind her and was waiting to say something to her roommate for the next four weeks.

Kinsey Crawford appeared slightly uncomfortable, but Fitz motioned for her to speak anyways. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Illonie, I was just wondering if you wanted to join me and a few others over there. We were planning on playing some sort of game, and I know you enjoy that type of thing," she said.

Illonie smiled at her roommate. "Of course! It was nice talking to you, Fitz, I hope we'll get to speak again soon," she said, then dove underwater in pursuit of Illonie, who'd begun to head back in the direction of a group of girls waiting for the two of them. Fitz raised in hand in a small wave to Illonie once she surfaced, which she returned before saying something to the others. It wasn't long at all before another girl swam up to him, but it seemed like this would be a less welcome encounter than his former one.

"Hi, Fitz. Long time no see," purred Gloria, a sly smile on her face. It seemed as though Fitz was going to have to take an unscheduled break to leave the pool and potentially escape to the bathroom to avoid the girl that had unnerved him in the past.

"If you'll excuse me, Gloria, I was just planning to go and relieve myself," responded Fitz. Much to his chagrin, the two crossed her arms and scowled. "No, you don't. You're just trying to get rid of me. I'm not stupid, you know," she complained. Fitz was momentarily embarrassed, but then swiftly regained his composure. She was correct, of course, in her analysis, but it was possible that he had originally misjudged her. He hadn't spent much time with the girl, leaving much of her personality shrouded in mystery.

He took a deep breath. "Gloria, I sincerely apologize. I was being overly cautious in my interactions, and my original thoughts in regard to your behavior seem to have been misplaced. I hope you will forgive me, as I am deeply in the wrong here. It was never my purpose to offend you, however," replied Fitz.

This seemed to placate the girl. She relaxed her face, the waterproof makeup softening and looking less intimidating when she wasn't glaring at him. "Of course. I'd hate to think you got the wrong impression earlier on. I'm not some stupid six, either, so you don't have to worry about that. After all, I am a two, so I've got a little more class than girls such as Evangeline do. Goodness, have you really seen her? She's a nightmare. I never thought that I'd meet a six that acted like she was my equal," remarked Gloria.

The manner in which Gloria flippantly dismissed Evangeline unsettled Fitz. Illonie was a six, and he had yet to see an instance where Gloria proved herself to be intellectually equal to the bright tour guide. Perhaps it was just a potent dislike of Evangeline that made Gloria say those rude words, but Fitz was inclined to think otherwise.

A strange salvation came in the form of Katelin Flores-Lee. She swam over, slung her arm around Gloria's shoulders, and smiled. "Hey, roomie! I was wondering where you went. We were just about to start another game of pool volleyball with Abrielle and some others. Care to join us?" asked Katelin, keeping her arm tightly around Gloria in a display of friendship that left the two unable to escape. Gloria eventually managed to shove Katelin off, but grumpily plodded towards Abrielle and the others.

Katelin, before turning to follow her roommate, gave him a subtle wink. To Fitz, the girl was volatile and unpredictable, but he was starting to think that may have actually been a good thing. He almost pitied her, given her accommodations for the next four weeks. The other three girls she was rooming with were quite removed from her, personality-wise.

From overhearing a nearby conversation, on accident of course, Fitz heard that it was nearly seven o'clock and Jadie's order for food would arrive within minutes. Dakota and Averian had been discussing it, and neither were girls that Fitz would prefer to partake in a conversation with. Averian was simply too rash at times, although she might have worked well with Sam, and he hadn't yet managed to determine much about Dakota. He might interact with her in the future, when he knew more about her past, but he would rather stay removed for now.

Suddenly, a wild Jadie Flores appeared, her usually calm demeanor shattered by a panicked gleam in her eyes. "Listen up, everyone! We have a miniscule security issue which I feel I am obliged to inform you about. And, no, this time it's not a cat,"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Once again, I completely forgot that this chapter was done. Whoops. I have to make this short, since I'm writing it right before I have to do something, but going off of what I said last we, please feel free to let me know in a review where you want to see the story go!**


	65. Unleashed

Prince Sam's POV

The first thing Sam saw when he opened his eyes from a night of blissful sleep was the face of his eldest brother, Fitz, scowling down at him. Sam made a futile attempt to pretend like he was still asleep. Of course, it didn't work, but what was the point if he didn't even try?

"Quit your pathetic theatrics and get your slothlike behind out of bed. You have five minutes to make yourself decent. It's 7:55. Jadie's briefing is at eight, although it is quite obvious that you had forgotten. You can rustle up something resembling food during that time," snapped Fitz, brown hair already combed and polo shirt neatly tucked into crisply pressed khaki pants. He did have dark circles under his eyes, though, which made Sam feel a little better. The oldest triplet's mood probably came from lack of sleep and travel.

Deciding not to respond to Fitz, Sam pushed the covers off his legs and sat on the edge of his bed. Fitz, shaking his head, promptly exited the room and closed the door behind him. Such were the benefits of only wearing boxers when he slept. Maybe he'd get lucky and Fitz wouldn't bother him in the morning for the next four weeks.

He stood up with a small pause so he wouldn't fall over. Then, kicking open the first suitcase he saw, Sam pulled out a graphic t-shirt and a random pair of shorts. He immediately shimmied into both before snatching up a pair of socks so he could hop around the room like a doofus as he tried to put them on without sitting down. Once he'd managed that, Sam slipped into the bathroom and took care of his restless bladder. For good measure, he even brushed his teeth.

Fitz unceremoniously shoved a granola bar into his hand as soon as Sam exited his room. As he did so, the screen flickered to life, revealing Jadie and the smaller edge screens all around her that showed the faces of the girls. The planner coughed once, paused, and then glanced down at what was probably her clipboard.

She began to speak. "We're going shopping today, everyone. We need to procure food and other important necessities that we couldn't bring with us in our suitcases. It is highly advisable for you to pick up extra sunscreen and other island items there as well. I'd like all of you to go today, though I'll let most of you choose in the following weeks. Our security team has sweeped and set up monitors all over the island over the past few weeks. I would still prefer for you to be careful, however, which is why I have another announcement to make,"

"Katelin has generously offered to provide self-defense classes. The first will occur when we get back from the shopping trip. If you are interested, please speak to Katelin to sign up for the first. Of course, Katelin, you're not going to hurt the other girls, are you? Good. I thought so," Katelin managed to have the ability to grin at her mother.

Jadie looked like she was trying to ignore Katelin, then resumed her little speech. "Today will mostly be a day to let you recuperate from travel and adjust to the time zone. Tomorrow will be what I believe is our first beach trip. You'll be free to scamper about the sand like little baby bunnies then. For now, we do shopping and then return back here where you can socialize to your heart's desire. Is that clear?" finished Jadie, managing to give everyone a look by merely staring straight into whatever camera her computer was using.

Sam suddenly remembered that he and Luke both had important plans tonight. They were taking Scarlet and Cila to see a musical, weren't they? Come to think of it, he was definitely glad that he had somehow stored the information somewhere in his brain. He'd meant to write it down on his phone, but had kind of forgotten.

It was one of those days on which Sam had the attention span of a hyperactive squirrel hopped up on enough caffeine, sugar, and energy drinks to give a water buffalo a heart attack. He didn't even notice when the TV screen faded to black, signaling that Jadie was done with her announcements. Though she probably could have just kicked their screen of the call and continued to talk to the girls about something else. In fact, that seemed exactly like something she would do. But for what reason?

There was only one thing he could immediately think of that Jadie would want to take them off the call for. Four weeks was a long time, meaning that the majority of the girls would go through what Sam affectionately called the "werewolf phase" during their trip.

The werewolf phase was something he only ever noticed about his mother and Jadie, the once-a-month period of time where they acted like they were about to turn into a snarling she-wolf creature at the sight of a round silvery sphere in the sky. Sam wasn't a complete idiot, and knew what it was, but the imagery he had come up with in his early teens had made a lasting impact on him. Or, at least it made him pay attention to the weeks where he needed to avoid Jadie at all costs.

Noticing that Luke had plopped himself down on the large couch in their living area, Sam proceeded to sit down next to him, unwrapping the granola bar and taking a bite as Fitz made a highly disapproving noise from the kitchen area. A second and similar noise followed when the youngest of the princes stuck his middle finger up in the air to Fitz.

"You, Samuel Schreave, are unbelievably crass and uncouth," grumbled Fitz. With a granola bar of his own in hand, the eldest of the three had taken a place at the breakfast bar and had begun to look through the binder that explained all of the emergency procedures for various island disasters. Sam had taken a look at it last night and had quickly closed it because of the boring nature of the subject material within. He'd just trust Fitz to not let them die in a crisis.

Luke, having watched the entire situation happen with interest, gave Sam a small smile that seemed to mean that at least one of the brothers didn't exactly dislike him. Sam found himself liking Luke a little more than usual as well. They hadn't spent much time with each other in the palace during the last few years.

Back when the three of them had been small and their parents had still been required to keep up a public image of caring about any of them except Fitz, the triplets had spent much more time together. After all, who else were they to play with? There were a few kids of their age running around the palace, but his mother had given him a really long and boring lecture the one time he'd tried to make friends with any of them. Apparently, from what he'd heard, the Queen of Illea had become a bit disconnected from the common people over the years.

One of the favorite activities the triplets had done together had been to build pretend cities in the great room of space. They would take empty cans from the kitchen and set them up as building, then would use stripes of colored tape for roads and to mark off where they would plan new construction.

Fitz had insisted on making a little battlefield in a corner of the room, and basically turned it into an oversized chessboard. He would usually manage to convince Luke to play with him, while Sam himself would fly little toy planes around, making machine gun noises, or would pretend to be a giant lizard monster rising out of the sea and stomp all around the little town and imagine he was eating the screaming townsfolk before peacefully making friends with the mayor and holding epic prank=offs in the town square.

"Hey, Luke, remember that little town we made in the great room?" he asked, his final bite of granola bar still in his mouth. Luke didn't seem to care about the messy eating, however, and nodded. Fitz had turned his attention back to them as well, probably noticing that someone was actually trying to talk to Luke and include him.

A thoughtful expression came upon Luke's face. "I think so. Didn't that thing end up being cleaned up by the maids after Fitz insisted he wanted to study and didn't want to play with us anymore?" replied Luke, causing Sam to frown. Fitz made a show of pretending to be absorbed in the disaster procedure binder, which he probably was anyway, but they all knew that Fitz actually had ears and would be paying attention to any conversation going on in the room.

Sam made another face in Fitz's direction. "Let's think about the fun parts, okay? Like when we raided the kitchen for more building material," he commented. Luke gave him a tiny smile at the memory of the incident, during which the kitchen staff had caught them and then replaced their meager stash of full cans with a load of clean and shiny ones they'd been saving for them.

Nodding, Luke's smile grew. "I remember that. Didn't we end up basically commandeering things from around the whole palace to create the town or city or whatever you want to call it? I even think Jadie might have donated some old office supplies to the cause. It got to be kind of impressive for something made by three ten-year-olds. The amount of time we spent on it alone was an accomplishment. We were already drifting apart back then," he said, his smile slowly turning back into a frown.

Once again, Sam groaned at Luke's general unhappy attitude. "Dude. Lighten up, will you? There's no need for us to complain about basically forgetting that we're all related most of the time and acting like the other two don't exist except when we all are called together by our parents," added Sam sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Like, no one ever said we couldn't be friends. We just all eventually kind of came around to thinking that we all had to stand divided. I know I've made friends with the guards and a bunch of online people, not even counting the people outside of the palace, but Luke, you just were a wonderful person who made pleasant conversation with gardeners while Fitz did his own boring thing. If we had acted as a group, we could have spared each other whatever we went through over the years,"

Luke began to protest, but Sam held up a hand to stop him. "You're going to listen to me, okay? You are a much better person than you think you are, bro, and I can't figure out why you insist on living in the shadows. You could do some seriously awesome good in this world if you just stepped up and tried," he said.

The prospect of a debate roused Fitz, who had turned his attention back to the binder. He turned around with a pensive look on his face. "I admire your noble aspirations, Sam, but I do not think this amount of flattery is quite necessary. No offense is intended, Luke, when I say that you have not yet demonstrated any qualities of an individual that could inspire positive progress and correctly govern any amount of citizens. It is a rather outlandish thought, in my opinion," he remarked, somewhat haughtily.

As the youngest prince of Illea, Sam had muddled through a lot of insults being slung in his general direction. But insulting Luke? The pure, innocent cinnamon roll? Sam was ready to pull a Katelin Flores-Lee and knock out a few of Fitz's perfect pearly white teeth with his Fitz.

"Don't act like you even care about Luke, dude. Not cool. I have some words about where you can go stick it," growled Sam. Luke himself was nervously looking back and forth from Sam to Fitz, like he was watching a tennis match. He could have easily stepped in, but Sam wasn't going to let him do so, given that Fitz would have verbally torn him into shreds once again. That wasn't going to happen, not under Sam's watch. He was the youngest triplet, and he had a duty to uphold. Annoying Fitz was a lot of fun.

True to form, Luke did the opposite of what Sam wanted him to do and somehow managed to make it work. "Thank you, Sam, but now's probably not the right time to do this. I don't want to be the cause of a fight between the two of you. Fitz, you're not boring, and Sam, Jadie will wash your mouth out with soap if she hears you say those words again," he said.

It took all of three seconds for Fitz to nod like nothing had ever gone wrong. "Of course, Luke. I must offer you an apology, as I never meant to imply that you are not a suitable candidate for a prince. In fact, some of the blame must fall down to me for your unfortunate position in the shadows. You probably could have done much more if I had ever had the decency to cease my incessant babbling and allow you to let your ideas be known," responded Fitz, this time in a bashful manner.

This was ridiculous, however, to Sam. "This ain't some awful little disney movie, Fitz. A simple apology doesn't fix anything if you don't truly mean it. The three of us aren't going to suddenly have a group hug and put all of our differences aside. What are we, the Care Bears? Heck no. Even I understand that life doesn't work that way," he drawled lazily.

Cue another Luke intervention. "We know that, Sam. Fitz is only trying to make the first step, just like we both are as well. We've got four weeks to hash this out away from the palace, and I'm hoping that we can at least resemble brothers by the end of this. Speaking of issues, we need to have a talk about the selection, don't we? Sometimes I feel like we forget the entire purpose of this trip and these months of having the girls here. We each have to marry one of them. That's a pretty big deal, if you ask me!" said Luke.

"We're only eighteen! Our brains haven't even technically finished developing yet! We might legally be adults, but who are we to think of marrying this early? And, while we're at it, isn't there a law against adults having romantic interactions with minors? Half of the selected are minors, for goodness sakes!" he continued, in a rather un-luke-like outburst.

Fitz made a noise of protest, but Luke continued. "Have you two ever thought about how messed up this is? How messed up everything is? People die in rebel attacks, and we just act like it happens every day and that it's only a minor inconvenience! Our father is depressed and is the king of a country! If one girl had stayed alive twenty years ago, our parents wouldn't be together! We're being expected to make a decision that will affect the rest of our lives when we're barely old enough to drink alcohol! We wouldn't even be able to do that back in the US!"

Sam winced, not needing to be reminded of that little law that he had regarded as irrelevant for so long. It was no secret that he had drunk his first cocktail way before he was legally allowed to do so. He didn't realize it, but his brain was probably trying to avoid the painful truths that Luke had brought up in addition to the drinking thing.

Whirling around, as if the thought of it had made Luke think of Sam, the angry middle triplet ranted on. "And you! Goodness, Sam, I think you're probably a decent person, but I truly don't want to know what you've done in the past few years. I want to puke just thinking about it, which isn't the best thing, given that we're all eighteen and should know how to deal with that unpleasant topic of conversation already. Don't pretend like you didn't have some part in removing the Moral Code of Amendments, either,"

It seemed like Luke was running out of breath by this point. He'd probably never yelled at anyone for this long before. Not wanting him to hurt himself, Sam stepped forwards and snatched up one of the pillows from the chair next to the couch. In one fluid motion, he gently bopped it upon Luke's head.

He scowled. "What was that for?" The middle Schreave sibling crossed his arms and continued to glare in Sam's direction. Shrugging, the wielder of the pillow dumped the fluffy weapon back down on the chair. It shut Luke up, at least, so Sam considered that a success. Sometimes only a gentle pillow drubbing could knock some sense into an angry brother. He'd never used it before, but he'd been awfully tempted to do so. Although that had been in cases that involved Fitz, who was currently investigating the fully stocked bookshelf.

Sighing, Sam patted Luke's shoulder. "Come on, Shouty McSchreave. You've suffered long enough. We should probably get heading down to see Jadie for the shopping instructions or something meaningless like that," he said. Luke, uncomfortable from his awkward shoulder patting, reluctantly let himself be steered in the direction of the door.

"Hey, Fitz, you coming?" remarked Sam, looking back over his own shoulder. The eldest of the three triplets put the book he'd removed back down onto the shelf and trailed after Sam and Luke, shutting the door firmly behind him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Between spring break traveling and the cyclone that school has been recently, I haven't had much time to write. I offer my deepest apologies for the length of time it has been since I realized a chapter. I'd like to keep this brief, mainly so I don't squander my short quantity of writing time available to me by creating a lengthy and overly pointless note here. Hopefully I'll be able to find more time in the coming week to write a better chapter with a large paragraph thanking everyone who reads this. We hit five hundred reviews! Isn't that exciting? Anyways, I'll do my best to get the next chapter out before another month passes, and don't forget to leave your thoughts so I know what you want to see next!**


	66. Here on this Island

Prince Luke's POV

His heart was hammering in his chest. The pounding rhythm was like a fearsome army cresting the edge of a valley, the hordes preparing to attack with a drumbeat spurring them on towards invasion. Trembling hands nervously were raised to knock on a door, unable to complete their task because of the apprehension that was swallowing them whole. This process had been much easier when the territory had been familiar and life hadn't yet started its rapid shift in what was normal and what was not.

The suit he wore felt odd, like some sort of vessel designed to contain him and make him wary. Cool island breezes ruffled his hair. Brown eyes darted about, desperately hoping for some sort of savior to help him do what he was there to do, but finally closed for a mere instant before the raised hand connected with the door.

The raised fist had barely connected with the door when it was eagerly swung open. Two pairs of eyes, both glimmering with excitement, peered up at Luke. Managing to choke out a nervous smile, he awkwardly stood before them. His mind was running slowly, like he was running through molasses in the colder winter months of some northern province of Illea. In the brief millisecond that followed, his mind flashed back to the events of the previous hours of the day, during which he had been preparing for this moment.

A few minutes after noon. They had recently returned from shopping, Jadie having insisted that they begin to prepare much earlier than he would have liked to. Sam, being Sam, had decided to wait. Luke hadn't wanted to get his head bitten off by Jadie, so he had decided to continue.

One o'clock. Working on his plan for the structure of the date, he had grabbed Sam's arm as he had come in the door, tugging him over to the couch and forcing him to sit down. Plans for dinner were the first thing he approached. There was a small restaurant at the theater, with cuisine that Luke would probably eat. Sam would eat anything, so he didn't have to worry about that. It had enough variety that Scarlet and Cila would be able to find something that they would enjoy the consumption of.

Half past one. The youngest of the brothers had escaped, saying that he needed to use the bathroom and basically staying in there for over an hour. A sneaking suspicion told Luke that he had his phone in there with him. It was more likely that Sam was checking his social media profiles than him actually being constipated.

Two in the afternoon. Jadie had come to check in on them, at which point Sam had been forced to relinquish the bathroom. The schedule had been submitted. Nervousness had begun to set in. Pacing around the room he was sharing clothes space in with the youngest of the three, he'd cast glances over at the well-pressed suits that waited for them. What if Scarlet began to hate him? What if Sam ruined everything? Thoughts swirled around in his head, unceasing, a whirlwind of panic. It would have been nearly dinnertime back in Angeles.

Three, time for a broadcast from the palace. Not the report. No, that wasn't until Friday, but the palace staff had called for one on a different day to address the recent broadcast. This happened occasionally, and the brothers had gathered on the couch with solemn faces, each with their own grievances and thoughts towards their mother.

Four, nearly evening. He was supposed to collect Scarlet at five, and Sam had insisted that he grab Cila as well, making some vague excuse or another, then disappearing into the bathroom. If Fitz hadn't been understanding, Luke probably would have had to deal with the severe embarrassment of a yellow stain in his pants. That would not bode well for the way the date might go. He was beginning to wish that Sam wasn't bring Cila, that it wasn't a double date at all. He had found himself flopping on the couch, face first.

Then it had been time for him to get into his suit and head down to where he was presently, anxiously wringing his hands together as he searched for some time to say to the girls. "Um. You look nice. Sam said he'll be here soon, at least I think he will," stuttered the blonde prince.

Luckily, Scarlet's bright eyes met his as she gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks! And we expected Sam to be running slow, don't worry, Jadie warned us beforehand that he might take a little time to get ready. Honestly, I'm a bit nervous, if I do say so myself. This is the first double date of the selection! Not to mention the third actual date overall. I think it's probably nerve-wracking for all of us," chirped the blonde. Cila nodded her agreement, still peering her head around Luke to see if Sam was coming yet.

Sandy blonde hair artfully pulled back into a stylish updo, Scarlet looked like she'd stepped from a mid 20th century broadway musical, glamourous and radiant with the light dusting of makeup that made her sea blue eyes shine. The purple dress she wore only added to the effect.

Heavy breathing from behind caused Luke to suddenly turn around. Sam, apparently having run down the stairs, adjusted his bowtie and gave them a tired wave. He managed to have located a red tie with bronze accents that matched the similarly colored dress of Cila. Having opted for a black tie, Luke had a moment of panic, worried that Scarlet would think he hadn't had the foresight to match his tie to her dress like Sam had done. Thankfully, Sam came to his rescue a moment later when he regained his composure.

"Jadie practically threw this at me," explained the youngest prince, gesturing towards the tie. His eyes settled over Cila. "Wow. Red is definitely your color," he remarked. Luke found himself sharing a small smile with Scarlet at this, making eye contact as if to laugh about Sam's words, but then quickly looked away.

In the parking lot below, a sleek black limousine had arrived while they'd been waiting for Sam, and Jadie now stood besides it in conversation with the driver. Spotting the quartet looking at her, she energetically waved up to them and pointed at the ground besides her. Her meaning couldn't be more clear. The youngest prince set off first, gently taking Cila's hand and leading her towards the stairs. Luke awkwardly offered Scarlet his arm, trying not to look terrified, and managed to make it to the top of the stairs without fainting.

This was all much harder than his first date. He'd been setting the precedent back then, and had been able to do so by enjoying an activity that he was much more comfortable in. Volleyball was certainly better than having Sam watching his every move from the side. Plus, he'd had an excuse for sweating back then.

The dark-haired planner's steady gaze caused them to move down the flights of stairs as quickly as possible. After the harrowing trial, during which he'd had a small chance of falling and dragging Scarlet down with him, they found themselves presented before the intimidating women like kindergarteners being surveyed by their stern teacher before going outside for recess on the playground. Not that Luke had ever gotten to experience that, having been privately educated his entire life and missing out on the joys of public schooling.

Clasping her hands together, Jadie gave them an approving nod. "Lovely. Mr. Gartner here will be acting as your chauffeur for the evening. Remember, the show starts at eight, giving you three hours to get there, eat, and find your seats. The drive is only half an hour," remarked the planner, pausing to allow the princes to work out their schedule.

After her pause, she began again. The show runs for two hours and fifty five minutes, including intermission. At that rate, you'll be back around eleven thirty, at the earliest. No shortcuts or stops or other delays. If something comes up, I'm trusting Luke to contact me and explain. Apologies, Sam, but there's no way I'm trusting you with this. Any questions? No? Good. You're welcome to board the vehicle now. Have fun," she instructed. Sam immediately darted into the limo, not wanting to be near Jadie any longer, but Luke hesitated.

Holding the door for Scarlet, he gave her another nervous smile. "After you?" he said, a burst of warmth exploding in his chest when she gave him a look of understanding. He followed her into the sleek interior of the limousine, sitting next to her in the forwards facing seats across from Sam and Cila.

The car started as soon as Jadie had retreated from the parking lot. A divider separated them from there driver, allowing them to engage in pleasant conversation without fear of being interrupted. True to form, the two girls began excitedly discussing the musical, the princes sharing a look of pure fear in regard to the enthusiasm before attempting to join in. Luke had done his research beforehand and managed to follow the track of their discussion quite well. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be confused.

"I can't wait for the part about Uncle Tom's cabin. I've always thought it was surprisingly fitting in the scenario of the musical, and that including it was a masterstroke. The message it sends about slavery in conjunction to Tuptim's feelings of loss. The humorous aspects mesh so well with the siamese culture," said Scarlet, practically glowing.

Her friend nodded, chestnut colored curls bouncing in the style she'd left them down in. "The costumes are supposed to be incredible as well! Such as is the history lesson woven throughout. 1862 was over three hundred years ago. Strange, to think that a musical about it still exists in 2218," responded Cila, including the current year. Luke thoughts turned to how technology had stayed stagnant for the past two hundred of those years, but he decided not to comment, fretting about the subjects it might bring up.

Sam eventually became involved in the conversation. "So, like, what is this musical supposed to be about?" he asked, looking at Cila for an explanation. The two girls glanced at each other in apparent disbelief and then back to the youngest triplet. Pausing to collect her thoughts, Cila gave Sam an amused smile.

Tucking a lock of her hair behind an ear, the Croatian five focused her attention on Sam. "It's about a British school teacher, Anna Leonowens, being offered a job to teach in the kingdom of Siam. She's a window with a young son. Going to the country, she finds herself eventually falling in love with the king, even as she teaches his children. In addition, it's also about Tuptim, a young girl gifted to the king for his group of wives, but she's in love with a scholar," explained the seventeen year old.

Confused, the other prince tilted his head inquisitively. "Where exactly is Siam? I mean, not to sound ignorant or anything, which I am, but I don't think that place exists anymore," remarked Sam. Mentally cursing the lack of geographical knowledge of his brother, Luke continued to stare out the car window.

Cila let out an irritated sigh. Having been born outside of Illea, it was no surprise that she found Sam's lack of attention to the world outside of Illea annoying. A dramatic eye roll followed the sigh as she began to speak once more. "It became known as Thailand a while back. Of course, it was assimilated into one of the many countries currently present there now. You've probably heard of Siamese cats. That's where they came from, though that's kind of obvious," said Cila, punctuating her words with gestures for emphasis.

The other occupant of the car laughed. "Next you'll be asking where Croatia is, Sam," teased Scarlet, sea blue eyes sparkling with mirth. Luke tore himself away from watching a particularly interesting cloud drift through the sky above to look at Scarlet, having remembered his manners and the necessity of paying attention to his date for the evening.

Having the humility to blush, Sam laughed as well. It was common knowledge around the palace that the youngest triplet had ended up being forced by Jadie to research exactly where each of the European countries was a few years back after the Italians had visited and he'd thought that Italy was somewhere in Asia. That had caused great embarrassment for the neon clad planner, who had made it her mission to ensure that Sam learned basic geography if it was the very last thing she ever did.

Smiling, Scarlet turned to Cila. She was obviously curious about something. "Do you remember much about Croatia? You did say you'd moved here when you were five," remarked the six. In response, the tan five nodded, albeit after a short moment's hesitation. Her face was lost in thought for a brief moment.

"I remember enough to miss it, but also be glad that I'm here. We left because of the civil war that still continues to the present day. It was a pretty big mess over there, still is, but I've heard that the worst of it is over. Apparently the conflict died down a bit in recent years. However, the war isn't over, so I doubt I'll get to visit anytime soon. I did hear that Illea did lobby to help aid them at the request of the Italians during the most recent worldwide peace summit, though," replied Cila with a sad sort of look on her usually spirited face.

Like many of the other nation states in those parts, Croatia hadn't done that well after the fall of America during WW3, the general economy having collapsed. A civil war had started around the time of Porter Schreave and Abby Tamblin. The details of it were shrouded in mystery for most, but Luke had been there when his father had gone over the official reports.

While the others continued to talk about Croatia, Luke's mind turned to the other European countries. There was Italy, of course, and the Germanic Federation still stood strong. The Rus alliance had a swath of territory on the continent in addition to what they had in Asia. The Baltic Cooperation, France, the United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia, and various other countries made up the ruling powers of the area. One of them, Czechoslovakia, had even split into two nations during the time of the US only to reconvene after ww3.

Illea had a formal alliance with both Italy and Germany. They were on good terms with the Baltic Cooperation, and the United Kingdom, but tensions with France had been high after King Maxon had refused the offer of the french princess's hand in marriage to one of the triplets. Luke was exceedingly thankful for that.

In addition, there was Spain, which had a government that was overly complicated. They had a royal family, but similar to the UK, it was mostly for show, having no real power. However, the current heiress was studying law, being about five years older than the triplets. He'd heard that her goal was to become elected head of state and give power back to the royal family after her ascension through democratic means. She'd come to Illea once, and had scared the living daylights out of Luke. That girl was intimidating.

Other nations around the world were also of some note. New Asia, of course, had been involved in a war with Illea until shortly before the marriage of his parents. They had trade deals now, and were doing surprisingly well with not trying to take each other over again. Japan, although not part of New Asia, had a similar sort of thing going on.

Another nation that Illea had interesting relations with had to be Swendaway. They got along just fine, but the other country had always seemed a bit suspicious to Luke, skulking around the palace whenever they came to visit and poking their noses into things that should have been left alone. He figured that they also had a sort of hidden agenda. Honestly, there were probably no fewer than seven countries trying to gain control of Illea, though some through subtler means than others.

He grimaced at the thought of India. The most populous country in the world had been hit by biological warfare long before Luke was born, in retribution for some terrible things they'd done during WW3, but were slowly gaining power once more. The supreme ruler, Sathvik Tarun Gurpreet Jain, was said to be a kind of terrible person.

Thoughts of what lay outside the boundaries of Illea carried him throughout the entire drive, causing a sure amount of surprise when the driver announced that they had reached their destination at last. Clambering out of the vehicle, then offering Scarlet his hand to help her remove herself from its confines, he found himself staring up at the detailed walls of an impressive theater, tall and grand as it loomed over the surrounding buildings.

Instead of entering the theater, however, they were directed to the restaurant at the side. They would easily be able to move themselves into the lobby after they had completed their meal in due time. As they headed towards the restaurant, their driver bidding them farewell, a tangle of nerves pulsed in Luke's chest.

"Welcome! Please, follow me, I'll get you seated right away. I presume you would like two seperate tables? They will be close to each other," said the overly excited hostess of the restaurant, her eyes glittering as she eagerly snatched a pile of menus from behind the front podium. Luke and Sam shared a look of bewilderment before nodding in unison. The hostess continued chattering away as she lead them to their tables. After putting down their menus and silverware, she turned away, literally bouncing as she walked.

Luke sat down somewhat awkwardly. Scarlet certainly seemed nervous as well, though a little more apprehensive on that account, adjusting a lock of blonde hair before gently opening the menu. As she did so, she was drawn away by the interior decoration of the restaurant, a small gasp escaping as her eyes roamed about.

Elegant crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, while numerous flowering plants decorated the half walls between the tables. The booths and tables were made out of sleekly polished island wood. All chairs were upholstered with red leather, the patrons in them dressed to the nines, and an air of class settled around the entire space. It kind of reminded Luke of the palace. Same attempt to appear grand, same awe-inspiring decor that made the place he was forced to call home feel like an upscale department store without the clothes and sale clerks.

He nervously cleared his throat. "So, um, what are you getting to eat?" asked Luke, feebly attempting to initiate conversation. The daunting choices of the menu were spread out in front of him even as he asked his question. The pasta sounded pretty good, but so did a few of the salads, especially since they all came with croutons.

Smiling, Scarlet looked down at her own open menu. "I'm not sure yet. Everything seems like it would be delicious! I've only been able to rule out any options so far because I don't want to ruin my dress accidently. And, of course, I can definitely take out the wine as a beverage choice. Still have two years to go until I can drink, not that I think I'll actually do it when I reach that age. This restaurant is really nice, though. Reminds me of where my brother works," responded the petite six.

The middle triplet nodded. It was rather smart to avoid foods that might cause unwanted spills. "How old is your brother?" inquired Luke, curious, wanting to know more about what Scarlet's life as a six had been like. A small part of him was furiously taking mental notes to amend his secret and hypothetical plan for the replacement of the caste system.

At that moment, a waitress came over to the table, her uniform immaculate and pressed to perfection. She swiftly asked for their drink orders, which they gave her, and then scurried back off towards the kitchens behind the door on the opposite side of the restaurant. Luke began to fiddle with the cuff of his suit jacket. There were tables of other patrons staring at his table and at Sam's, probably having recognized them from somewhere but being unable to place them in their minds. The looks of disgust would come later.

Jolting out of her intense staring at a nearby flowering plant, Scarlet blinked her sea blue eyes, her nose scrunching up and causing the light spray of freckles across her nose to move about. "He's fourteen. Declan works as a waiter, managed to get the job last year to help us out a bit more," she replied.

Only fourteen, and already working? Luke raised his eyebrows. He knew that sixes took jobs young, but he'd never considered that they might have needed to support their family even from an age where they could just barely work legally. Granted, there were probably a large number of families in the caste that were in similar scenarios. "And you're a stagehand, right? I think it would be cool to get to work behind the scenes in a theater," remarked the prince. He was trying to seem as open minded as he possibly could.

She nodded. "Yep! I was lucky enough to get to do it, most of my family has worked jobs with less style for generations. I've always wanted to be a stage actress, but with my caste, I'm doing the best I can," said Scarlet, a look of wistfulness on her freckled face. Light strands of hair trickled out of her buns and elegantly fell behind her ears, swaying in the breeze.

"I'd never be brave enough to do that," commented Luke, brown eyes glancing down at the table. "My plan is to somehow convince Fitz to take out the caste system when he becomes king. I've got a few ideas in place, nothing that great, but it might work. Then everyone would have a chance to pursue their dreams, as cheesy as that sounds. I do wish that my parents had gone through with it before I was born. It's been said that they'd talked about it, that my mother was involved with a group lobbying for it, but it never happened,"

Thankfully, the thought of politics didn't annoy Scarlet, but an inquisitive look appeared. "Who says that you might not be king? I've never heard that they actually went and specified that Fitz would get the throne," Scarlet said, eyebrows raised in confusion. Frowning, Luke considered this, then shook his head. Fitz was oldest. He was the natural born heir.

But what if their parents hadn't decided yet? What if some other method would come into the light? He might end up with a chance to change the country, and by extent, the world, for the better. No more castes. No more rebel attacks. If someone worked hard enough, they could do what they'd always wanted to do, with the right effort. You'd have to work to get places in life, but once you did, it would pay off. He could change the world into a better place. He could help future generations.

The return of the waitress with their drinks halted his thoughts. He was brought back down to earth as the glasses were brought down to the table. Having chosen one of the many varieties of pasta, Luke placed his order, then waited as Scarlet gave the waitress her own and happily chatted with her for a few minutes. Then the waitress left, smiling as she went.

The social skills of other people would never cease to amaze him. "Georgette is really nice! She said that she enjoys her job a lot. And, while she recognized you and Sam, she said she's not going to tell anyone to respect your privacy. Apparently the castes are a lot less strict here, having only been a territory for the time since Illea was created," explained Scarlet, smiling as she did so, her hands folding her straw wrapper into a lilly while she talked. She finished the paper flower with a twist at the stem and presented it to Luke.

He blinked. "Oh. Thanks. Um, yes, she did seem nice. But about what you said earlier. Fitz is the eldest, and besides, he's been acting like he'll take the job since he was small. Gosh darn it, I really need to stop trying to talk politics at the table. That goes against the unspoken rule: No politics or religion whilst eating," joked Luke dryly.

His comment managed to coax a giggle from his dining companion. That was a start, at least. "Let's talk about something more fun, then! Are you excited to see the musical? What other ones have you seen before? Do you have a favorite? I personally love Wicked, and West Side Story, and The Lion King is really good even though it's Disney. Weird to think that company has survived for so long," said Scarlet, beginning to laugh for real this time, prompting Luke to let out a wider smile.

"I really liked West Side Story, too. Mambo is one of my favorite musical numbers of all time. Wicked is good as well, though I made the mistake of reading the original novel a few years ago. Much more mature than you'd think. I've seen a bunch in Angeles before, since our family always needs to do something out in public together for the media, I guess," he replied.

Continuing, happy to know enough to carry on a conversation about the girl's interest, he bounced a little in his seat. "I've never seen this particular musical, so I'm excited. I've heard a lot of good reviews of this particular theater company, too. They're based in Waverly, I think, but travel around a lot. It must be cool to see so many places, but I'd think that it would get tiring after some time on the road, never really staying in one place for long," added the prince. Scarlet nodded enthusiastically.

Her sea blue eyes reflected the crystal chandeliers as she spoke. "I agree. It is weird, though, traveling to the palace and then spending four whole weeks in another area. By the time we get back to Angeles, it'll seem more like the selection is meant to be on Maui instead! I'm a bit scared for the mass elimination when we get back, though,"

Luke had almost forgotten about what awaited them once the four weeks were up. He hesitated, then decided to tell her the truth. "Honestly? I think you'll make it through. We've gotten along well so far, and there are still some girls I haven't really had a chance to talk with. The fact that we're here and that you haven't run away screaming means that I don't really plan to eliminate you anytime soon," responded the prince, staring down at his roll of silverware as he spoke.

* * *

 **Author's Note: At the time I'm writing this, I haven't finished the chapter, but I did just realize that it has been a full month since I last posted a chapter and I'm starting to panic. Sometimes school can get distracting. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and my eternal gratitude goes out to those that are still with us at this point in time. If you haven't reviewed in a few months, that's okay, but just make sure to review every once in a while to let me know that you're reading so I don't have to eliminate your character after the trip. If we ever finish the trip, that is. Surprisingly, with finals and exams coming up, I'm actually going to have more time to write. Yes, that doesn't make sense, but I've found that it ends up being true whenever this time of year hits. Be prepared for more updates, though I might have to make them a little shorter for a few weeks just to get things posted. (Next Chapter will be half the date, and half of Fitz's perspective on the next day)**

 **(Update number two- It's been almost two weeks since I wrote the author's note! Oops)**


	67. Reboot

RRGS: REBOOT

Far away, from the shadows, a cloaked figure watches a handful of smiling young adults enter a theater. They are the figure's targets. And, as their targets, it is their mission to ensure that they don't walk out of that theater alive. A flickering smile appears on their face. Unlike the other rebels, they had no sense of justice involved in the bloody work they carried out on a weekly basis. No, they merely did it for the thrill. For the rush of the chase. For the sweet rush of adrenaline that occured once a kill had been performed. To be honest, it was better than weed, if not just a little more illegal. But that only added to the fun of it, didn't it?

Luckily, they'd gotten an assignment without a partner for once, and therefore got to enjoy it just a little bit more than usual. It was odd, however, that they hadn't been briefed on who exactly they were supposed to be taking out. Perhaps these were mere innocents, and were targeted just to deal a blow to the palace's high and mighty demeanor of being better than the others. The figure grimaced. Apparently even they couldn't hang with the rebels without being brainwashed as well.

Oh well. It didn't matter in the long run, did it? Shedding the cloak, the figure slipped their knife into their suit, then stepped out of the alley to glower at the light. Fucking time zones made it feel like it should be early in the afternoon. After all, they'd flown quite a long way to get there, all the way from a base in Allens, and were still expected to do their best. With a wicked smile, the real Gilly Rodriguez entered the theater, looking all the world like a perfectly normal citizen. It was time to kill their targets.

Ten minutes later, Gilly walked out with blood splattered all over their suit, one dead target left behind, and another held as hostage over their shoulder.


End file.
